"Must-have" is a literal transcription of an English slang expression. This term is usually used to refer to any thing or object that must be available.
"Must-have" is an exact copy of the English-language expression "must have".
Literal meaning
The most common meaning of the verb "must" is must, and this verb refers to words with an increased semantic load and is used to denote the obligation to do something or even orders, that is, it has a rather ultimatum character. The verb “have” in translation into Russian means “to have” in the sense of owning any thing, value or object. Thus, literally translated from the original language, the expression "must have" means "must have."
In the Russian language, this expression appeared relatively recently, therefore, a stable practice of writing it has not yet been formed. So, in written speech, as a designation for this expression, you can find the English original "must have", as well as Russian transcriptions in the form of "must-have", "must-have" or "must have". A literal translation of a grammatical structure available in English is sometimes quite difficult to enter into a Russian sentence, therefore it is most often used either in its original form or modified so that it is consistent with other members of the sentence.
Actual meaning
The actual meaning of the expression "must-have" is a kind of necessary thing that every self-respecting person should have. This expression in this sense is used in a wide variety of areas of professional and daily activities. For example, it can be used to designate the minimum set of tools required for a specialist in a particular area: in this case, we can say that such a set constitutes a professional "must-have" for him.
Nevertheless, originally this expression came to the Russian language from the world of fashion, and it is in this area in Russia that it is most often used up to the present moment. This is due to the fact that in the field of fashion there are at the same time a large number of different trends, which, moreover, are changing very quickly. Therefore, from the entire spectrum of positions presented on the market within the framework of a particular trend, it may be advisable to single out a certain necessary minimum that everyone who follows fashion this season should have.
So, for example, the expression "must-have" can be used to refer to the most fashionable wardrobe items, for example, dresses of a certain style or shoes of one type or another. In addition, this term is often used in relation to cosmetics, and mainly from the category of decorative cosmetics.
