(Britain) To scold, to criticize, to complain directly to.
(Britain) To scold, to criticize, to complain directly to.
She did keep getting on at him a lot.
Get on at means: To scold, to criticize, to complain directly to.. There is no real cause for parental concern; it is descriptive vocabulary rather than risky behaviour. If your teen uses it, context will usually make the intent clear. A short, curious question about where they heard it is usually all that is needed to know whether to follow up.
Get on at means: To scold, to criticize, to complain directly to.. There is no real cause for parental concern; it is descriptive vocabulary rather than risky behaviour. If your teen uses it, context will usually make the intent clear. A short, curious question about where they heard it is usually all that is needed to know whether to follow up.
Slang is read by different audiences for very different reasons. The For parents view re-explains the term in plain, non-judgemental language so a caregiver can understand what their child means without needing the surrounding subculture. The For English learners view focuses on register (when it's safe to use), formal alternatives, and common mistakes — what a textbook won't teach you.
Add your own interpretation of "get on at".
The vocabulary of software engineers, AI researchers, and anyone living in a terminal or on GitHub — from LLM to MCP, CORS to vibe coding, agentic to enshittification.
See all Tech, Dev & AI slang on Slangora.
(US, informal) To complain to (someone).
(informal, UK) (To criticize).
To start on at someone is British informal for launching into criticism or a complaint directed at a specific person — nagging, berating, or having a go at them, often repeatedly and without much provocation. It implies persistence; you don't just criticize once, you start on at them and keep going. It's the verbal equivalent of a dog with a bone. Common in northern English dialects, it conveys the kind of low-level domestic friction that everyone has experienced but not everyone has a snappy phrase for.
(transitive) To scold someone; to pressure someone; to criticize someone.
get on at means: To scold, to criticize, to complain directly to.. Register: neutral, standard English. A common learner mistake is using the word in a register it does not fit, or assuming a single global meaning; native speakers immediately notice when slang appears in formal contexts, so always check the surrounding register before producing it yourself. A formal-English equivalent (a synonym or descriptive phrase) is usually safer in writing. When in doubt, paraphrase rather than reuse the slang form.
“How did you get on at your mum's? Have you managed to keep those pests at bay?”
No comments yet — say something.
Browse all slang words starting with G.