get at

get at idiom
  1. Touch, reach successfully, as in Mom hid the peanut butter so we couldn't get at it. [Late 1700s]
  2. Try to make understandable; hint at or suggest. For example, I think I see what you're getting at. [Late 1800s]
  3. Discover, learn, ascertain, as in We must get at the facts of the case. [Late 1700s]
  4. Bribe or influence by improper or illegal means, as in He got at the judge, and the charges were dismissed. [Colloquial; mid-1800s]
  5. Start on, begin work on, attend to, as in “Get at your canvassing early, and drive it with all your might” (Mark Twain, letter to his publishers, 1884). [Colloquial; late 1800s]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

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