up and at 'em

Idioms  

1. Get going, get busy, as in Up and at 'em—there's a lot of work to be done. This colloquial idiom, often uttered as a command, uses at 'em (for “at them”) in the general sense of tackling a project, and not in reference to specific persons.

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Example Sentences

The Utah Utes got up and at 'em early — courtesy of a blaring fire alarm at their hotel.

From Fox News • Dec. 12, 2020

And what a relief it was to see him up and at ’em.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 19, 2016

I can tweet before going to bed at midnight or 1 and know that they’re up and at ’em, and they’re going to have to respond.”

From New York Times • Nov. 18, 2010

Portland, Oregon--The new modern agenda in layering is all the way live. Shelterlayering.com is up and at 'em on the interweb.

From Time Magazine Archive

The m�l�e now became general, and it being impossible to discriminate between friend and foe, the Guards, seeing a large assemblage of the public on Flutter's Hill, were immediately "up and at 'em."

From Punch - Volume 25 (Jul-Dec 1853) by Various