Idioms 'have at' and have at it'

English as a Second Language English Vocabulary, Grammar and Idioms
1

Hi,

I believe ‘have at’ = attack. Is there any other meaning? Also, is ‘have at it’ a derivation of the former? Why could people use it to mean ‘go ahead’ or ‘help yourself’?

Thank you.

haihao

2

Hi Haihao,

Sorry, can’t help you here. Perhaps you can give me a sentence using ‘have at’. The only similar expression I know is ‘have a go at’ in the sense of ‘attack verbally’ as in: Newspapers enjoy having a go at the Prime Minister over his most recent policies.

A

3

Hi Haihao

I see that “have at” is mentioned in both Webster’s and the American Heritage dictionaries (defined as a sort of attack), but I have to admit, I don’t believe I’ve ever used that expression before – and certainly not with the meaning “go ahead” or “help yourself”.

I think I’d probably say “go at” and “go at it” (referring to a kind of attack or fight).

Amy

4

Hi Alan, Hi Amy,

My sincerest appreciations (as all the time) to both of you for your generous and considerate interpretations and instructions. It is so real to me, both as a fact and as a feeling, that my English has been improved much more than I had expected since I joined your site here. Actually I have no other English teachers to give me help at present.

I bumped into the phrase ‘have at it’ yesterday for the first time as the following two idiom teaching conversations in a book showed up:

A.

  • I’m really hungry.
  • Here’s a sandwich for you. Have at it.

B.

  • I wish I had a computer like this.
  • No one’s using this one now, so have at it.

They made me think of the phrase ‘have at’ in ‘have at bay but fail to defeat’. Now I am realizing maybe the latter isn’t relevant.

haihao

5

Hi Haihao

Well, I asked around today, and I can now confirm the usage (other than just in the dictionary). There are some people who use the expression ‘have at it’ to mean ‘go ahead’ or ‘help yourself’, but people also seem to consider it to be slang.

Amy

6

Hi Amy,

Thank you again and sorry for bothering you ever and again. By the way, (sorry again) could I ask another question?

What ticket does the ‘ticket’ refer to in the idiom ‘that’s the ticket!’? Thank you.

haihao

7

Hi,

I would suggest ‘ticket’ is rather like a certificate or something official and so ‘that’s the ticket’ as an expression means ‘that’s correct’ or ‘that’s what we need here.’

A

8

Now that’s an idiom that I’ve actually heard. :smiley:
I have no idea why the word ‘ticket’ is used, but there is a suggested reason here.

Amy