ENGLISH
REFERENCE

have a go

idiom
Meaning

To attack someone physically; to have a fight.


Examples
SIMPLE

The two men started to have a go at each other.

CONTEXTUAL

The pub was quiet until two strangers began to have a go at each other near the bar.

COMPLEX

Tensions escalated rapidly in the crowded square, and before the police could intervene, the rival groups began to have a go at one another.

Anchors to
Related idioms8entries
  1. 01

    all dressed up and nowhere to go

    Elaborately attired or otherwise fully prepared for an anticipated situation or activity which, nevertheless, fails to occur.

  2. 02

    all systems go

    Everything is ready.

  3. 03

    as you go

    While one is doing (something); as one progresses.

  4. 04

    boldly go where no man has gone before

    To break new ground.

  5. 05

    come and go

    To repeatedly appear and disappear; to be transient.

  6. 06

    don't go there

    Do not broach that topic.

  7. 07

    easy come, easy go

    Easily won and easily lost (usually said when resigned to a loss; something that comes in the same way, goes in the same way)

  8. 08

    enough to go around

    There is an adequate amount or supply of something for all of the people present or involved.

Last updated April 17, 2026