Hello, 👋. A British friend told me that “to have a go at someone” means shouting at someone angrily. But I looked it up and found it just meant “to criticize someone”. So my confusion is whether it’s

Yuan

Hello, 👋. A British friend told me that “to have a go at someone” means shouting at someone angrily. But I looked it up and found it just meant “to criticize someone”. So my confusion is whether it’s with shouting or crying such kind of nasty acts. What do you think?

2024年4月10日 00:08

回答 · 12

It means you criticize them harshly and angrily. Probably not crying, but shouting possibly. In American English we would use the phrase "to rip into someone" or "chew someone out."

2024年4月10日

To "have a go" at something or someone means to make a concentrated effort to do some (unspecified) thing. It has no necessary connection with anger or anything nasty, though in certain contexts it does. It could also be something wonderful. For example, if you are watching people ride horses but have never ridden one yourself, you might someday decide that you will "have a go at it". That means you are ready to try doing it yourself. Suppose you are a teacher trying to explain mathematics to three students: Billy, Sally, and Tom. In talking with another teacher, you might say "Sally and Tom catch on to everything I say, but Billy never seems to understand". The other teacher says, "I am willing to try to help him. You teach Sally and Tom and I will have a go at Billy."

2024年4月10日