have a crack at

Idioms and Phrases

Also, get or have a go or shot or whack at ; take a crack at . Make an attempt or have a turn at doing something. For example, Let me have a crack at assembling it , or I had a shot at it but failed , or Dad thinks he can—let him have a go at it , or Dave had a whack at changing the tire , or Jane wants to take a crack at it . The oldest of these colloquialisms is have a shot at , alluding to firing a gun and first recorded in 1756; crack and go date from the 1830s, and whack from the late 1800s.