Learn English – Origin of “up and at ’em”

etymologyexpressions

The phrase up and at ’em (commonly construed as ?up and Adam) is used a lot. Where did it originate?

Best Answer

I think it's a contraction and conflation of two orders Get Up! (meaning 'stand and prepare') and Get At Them! (meaning 'attack them'). The and is narrative, meaning 'and then'.

Both of these get's are causative/inchoative senses of be, and therefore phrases like be up and be at them also exist. The rest is just idiom formation, and occasionally spelling confusion and eggcorn creation.