go it alone
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
From the game of euchre, to play single-handed. Go to! A curtailed oath. "Go to the devil!" or "go to hell!
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “go it alone” mean?
From the game of euchre, to play single-handed. Go to! A curtailed oath. "Go to the devil!" or "go to hell!
Is “go it alone” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.