Have a go means: To tell off (especially unnecessarily or excessively), to criticise.. It is mainly Australian English and may not be understood outside that context. 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.
have a go
(intransitive, informal, idiomatic, UK, Australia) To tell off (especially unnecessarily or excessively), to criticise.
Seen in the wild
10 citations · last seen May 2026
Seen in the wild
BlueskyMay 2026
My mood this morning is incredibly foul. I am just...gonna mentally lie low, operate on low power mode so I don't have a go. I hate this mood, while this mood is rare for me these days...I hate feeling like a tinderbox.
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BlueskyMay 2026
A choice between “admit this is your fault and admit you have all disastrously fucked it over decades” or “let the Posh National Front have a go at trying to prop up this shitshow, by force” is not going to be a choic…
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BlueskyMay 2026
Okay. You don't let the drummer have a go at acting.
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BlueskyMay 2026
Look, all I'm saying is that you don't let the drummer have a go. Foo Fighters is what happens when you let the drummer have a go.
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BlueskyMay 2026
As Bill Hicks pointed out, The Beatles were so high they let the drummer have a go.
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Definitions
UK
#1·Apr 27, 2026UK
(intransitive, informal, idiomatic, UK, Australia) To tell off (especially unnecessarily or excessively), to criticise.
For parents
Have a go means: To tell off (especially unnecessarily or excessively), to criticise.. It is mainly Australian English and may not be understood outside that context. 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.
For ESL learners
have a go means: To tell off (especially unnecessarily or excessively), to criticise.. Register: informal, Australian English. Often not understood outside its region; gloss the word on first use when writing for an international audience. 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.
Heard in the wild
“Who wants to dive face first into my perfect tits this week? Form an orderly line, gentlemen, you can all have a go if you’re respectful and ready to put down a deposit x”
— Bluesky· May 2026“2. Join in - feel free to have a go at breaking the record with your own team, and raise some money for Spur or your own good cause. Tim, Jack, Ollie and Adam set the record last year at 157, but we need some competition this year. bsky.app/profile/tims...”
— Bluesky· May 2026“Will it be So You Win Again after you try my latest #introsquiz? It features 20 tracks with titles about winning or losing. But can you name each song and artist? Why not have a go and see? #quiz #musicquiz #popquiz #popmusic #quiztime #popmaster”
— Bluesky· May 2026“Need to see/hear @cheapshow.bsky.social have a go with these. The Chicken Royale is especially accurate!”
— Bluesky· May 2026“Laurent reading, Summer Palace edition ☀️ I'll never have time to colour it, but I am making the lines available for anyone who would like to have a go at it! psd and csp - dropbox link #myart #caprisky #captiveprince”
— Bluesky· May 2026
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UK
#2·Apr 27, 2026UK
(intransitive, informal, UK, Australia) To make an attempt; to try.
See it in action
“Okay. You don't let the drummer have a go at acting.”
“Look, all I'm saying is that you don't let the drummer have a go. Foo Fighters is what happens when you let the drummer have a go.”
Cluster: general
Heard in the wild
“My mood this morning is incredibly foul. I am just...gonna mentally lie low, operate on low power mode so I don't have a go. I hate this mood, while this mood is rare for me these days...I hate feeling like a tinderbox.”
— Bluesky· May 2026“A choice between “admit this is your fault and admit you have all disastrously fucked it over decades” or “let the Posh National Front have a go at trying to prop up this shitshow, by force” is not going to be a choice at all, for most of these people.”
— Bluesky· May 2026“Okay. You don't let the drummer have a go at acting.”
— Bluesky· May 2026“Look, all I'm saying is that you don't let the drummer have a go. Foo Fighters is what happens when you let the drummer have a go.”
— Bluesky· May 2026“As Bill Hicks pointed out, The Beatles were so high they let the drummer have a go.”
— Bluesky· May 2026
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UK
#3·Apr 27, 2026UK
(intransitive, informal, idiomatic, UK, Australia) To attack someone physically; to have a fight.
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For specific readers
Why is this section here?
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.
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UK
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🇬🇧About British & Irish slang slang
UK and Irish slang — Cockney, Scouse, Geordie, Yorkshire, Glaswegian, Brummie, Welsh, West Country, plus Irish English. Centuries of regional dialects feeding into modern British and Irish street talk.
See all British & Irish slang slang on Slangora.
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Other words near "have a go" (H)
haunted fish tankhausehauthhave a birdhave a blessed onehave a bone in one's leghave-a-go herohave a laughhave a lend ofhave a monk onhave a nice dayhave a nice life
Browse all slang words starting with H.