Green’s Dictionary of Slang

go it! excl.

[go it v.]

1. (also get to it) a general excl. of encouragement; in full go it you cripples, crutches / wooden legs are cheap!

[UK]G. Hangar Life, Adventures and Opinions II 81: [To] denote a good education, and shew that you have kept good company, be mindfull of the following, which you will apply as the conversation will admit you [...] ‘That’s the barber,’ ‘Go it,’ ‘The tippy and the twaddle,’ ‘What a swell’ .
[UK]D. Roberts Sequel to The Military Adventures of Johnny Newcome I 116: Give us a song, my boy! a good one — go it!
[UK]‘Peter Corcoran’ ‘Sonnet’ in Fancy 93: The noise of ‘Go it Jack,’ – the stop – the blow.
[UK]Egan Life in London (1869) 235: Logic whispered in his ear to ‘go it!’.
[UK] ‘Gallery of 140 Comicalities’ Bell’s Life in London 24 June 1/2: Go it, Molly! rub his life time out!
[Ire]Westmeath Jrnl 5 Feb. 4/4: What do you deem the most classical expression of modern times A. Lord Holland’s to the Cabinet—‘Go it, you cripples; crutches are cheap’.
[Aus]Australian (Sydney) 8 Apr. 4/2: The slang fellows about London cry, ‘go it ye cripple’.
[UK]Punch 31 July I 28: Go it, ye cripples!
[US]Whip & Satirist of NY & Brooklyn (NY) 16 Apr. n.p.: Go it you cripple.
[US]Whip & Satirist of NY & Brooklyn (NY) 16 July n.p.: It was go it Dick, go it Devil, go it Gash, go it Fib [...] till they were parted by the bystanders.
[US]Whip & Satirist of NY & Brooklyn (NY) 17 Dec. n.p.: Go it, ye cripples, wooden legs are cheap.
[UK]Leeds Times 22 June 6/2: Another victory! Go it, lads!
[US]Cadiz Sentinel (OH) 10 Dec. 3/6: Ourself [...] have beaten nearly half a dozen in each of the other offices, including men, women, boys, devils and baboons! Go it, ye cripples!
[US]‘Ned Buntline’ Mysteries and Miseries of N.Y. II 98: Go it Gus!
[UK]‘Epistle from Joe Muggins’s Dog’ in Era (London) 2 Jan. 3/4: All the lame ducks and waddlers are in commotion, and though the right ’uns cry, ‘Go it, yer cripples!’" they don’t fancy being driven afore the committee.
[US]T. Haliburton Sam Slick’s Wise Saws I 294: Go it, my little widder, while you are young.
[US]Life in Boston & N.Y. (Boston, MA) 11 Apr. n.p.: [headline] ‘Go it, ye Cripples’.
[UK]A. Mayhew Paved with Gold 157: Didn’t you hear him saying, ‘Go it, you cripple?’.
[UK]Hotten Dict. of Modern Sl. etc. (2nd edn) 149: GO IT, a term of encouragement, implying ‘keep it up!’ [...] or ‘go it, ye cripples, crutches are cheap.’.
[UK]T. Hughes Tom Brown at Oxford (1880) 122: Go it, little ’un; serve him out.
[UK]Dickens Our Mutual Friend (1994) 805: ‘Go it!’ cried Mr. Sampson [...] ‘Oh yes! Go it, Miss Lavinia Wilfer!’.
[UK]R.S. Surtees Facey Romford’s Hounds 334: Go it, ye cripples! Newgate’s on fire!
[US]General Custer letter 10 Sept. in Custer Boots And Saddles (1999) 295: As one by one I dispose of each goodly-sized fragment of a huge onion, I remark, sotto voce, ‘Go it, old fellow! Make the most of your liberties!’.
[UK]‘Old Calabar’ Won in a Canter III 12: ‘Go it, ye cripples,’ is shouted on all sides.
[Aus]Bulletin (Sydney) 8 Aug. 13/4: His Excellency’s opinions were, however, received with much hilarity by the Contingent, and audible observations, such as ‘Go it, old boy!’ and ‘Ain’t his nurse come for him?’ floated amongst the khakee ranks.
[UK]Sporting Times 29 May 1/3: ‘Go it, ye cripples! powder’s cheap! / And shot you may buy by the gallon’.
[UK]Farmer & Henley Sl. and Its Analogues III 163/2: Go it ye cripples, crutches are cheap (or Newgate’s on fire).
[Aus]Bird o’ Freedom (Sydney) 21 Mar. 2/2: Go it, you cripples! Any more coming along?
[UK]A. Morrison Child of the Jago (1982) 102: Good luck, father [...] go it!
[UK]R. Whiteing No. 5 John Street 266: Go it, ye cripples.
[Aus]Sydney Sportsman (Surry Hills, NSW) 6 July 6/3: [The] shouts of idiotic barrackers who, undertake to not only ‘Go-it-Bob,’ but to issue gratuitous instructions to men trained to the game.
[Aus]Sydney Sportsman (Surry Hills, NSW) 28 Sept. 6/1: Now, get to it, ye cripples.
[UK]E. Pugh Spoilers 133: ‘Go it, ole fat!’ he shouted.
[UK]Marvel 3 Mar. 5: Go it Bodder! Good on you! Give it the beast!
[Aus]K.S. Prichard Working Bullocks 290: Go it, Deb! Stick to it Deb!
[UK]W. Holtby South Riding (1988) 434: Go it! Atta boy!
[UK]A. Buckeridge According to Jennings (1991) 190: ‘Go it, Jen!’ yelled Darbishire.
[UK]K. Waterhouse There is a Happy Land (1964) 23: I shouted: ‘Go it, man!’.
Science Fiction Adventures (no. 26) 61: Good lad. Go it son.
[Aus]D. Ireland Glass Canoe (1982) 132: Go it, God! [...] Give it to ’em! Stick it right up ’em!

2. as a statement of agreement or acceptance.

[UK]Comic Almanack Apr. 223: ‘Go it,’ says I, up to my mettle; ‘Sam Coxe never says no.’.

In exclamations

go it, boots! (also go it, lemons!)

(US) a general cry of encouragement.

[US]Spirit of the Times (N.Y.) 23 Mar. 30: Wooden legs are cheap. Go it, Boots, with a perfect looseness.
[US]Gleaner (Manchester, NH) 16 Sept. n.p.: I shall calculate on getting tnere [...] and giving you a full and accurate account of his lecture, so go it boots.
[US]M.L. Byrn Adventures of Fudge Fumble 26: I [...] said, ‘go it boots, your Daddy’s rich.’.
[US]H.L. Williams Black-Eyed Beauty 11: She had ventured into the throng, under the ‘go it, lemons’ principle.
[UK]Barrère & Leland Dict. of Sl., Jargon and Cant.
[US]A.G. Field Watch Yourself 268: Go it boots, you’ll win in a walk.