what does "go atcha" mean? Isn't "atcha" a sound of sneezing?
Native speaker’s answer
Rebecca
They may sound similar, but the meaning is completely different. "Atcha" is simply an American colloquial contraction "at you". "Achoo" is an onomatopoeia (word that sounds like a noise) for sneezing and sounds similar to "atcha" but is not related to it. For something to "go at someone", especially in the context of an animal, it means that something is attacking the object (someone) in the sentence. Ex: You should be careful around bears. They'll go at you if you aren't careful. Here is an example of "atcha" used in an expression where there is emphasis on using "atcha" instead of "at you". A: Hey, you did great during our presentation, I don't know what I would have done without you! B: Right back atcha, buddy. "Right back atcha" is an expression used to return a positive comment in a friendly, colloquial way.
