“Good to go” means ready for action, often used in group activities. Its origins are unclear, but it likely originated in US military or aviation terminology. It is commonly used in the US and has an alliterative sound that is easy to remember.
“Good to go” is an English idiom meaning that someone or something is ready for action and no further delay is needed. It has often been used informally in group activities where teamwork is vital to success, such as in corporate sales, sports, or military action. When someone says that he is “alright”, it means that he is eager to start a business and wants to set aside all the side issues and causes of delay.
While tracing the meaning of idioms and their origins can almost always prove problematic, they usually retain an intent or connotation that points a specific direction to their most frequent use. Some sources attribute this particular phrase to such unique origins as the marketing of a popular brand of baked goods in the United States in the 1960s and 1970s, which were advertised as “…snacks and cakes, they’re cool!” In popular parlance, the phrase is also said to represent when a man thinks a woman is interested in sexual activity.
The basic intent is to convey a sense of readiness, and as such, the expression most likely originated in US military terminology, perhaps from the US Marine Corps, which are almost always the first troops sent into a conflict, or aviation sectors. It has been said that Marine units often communicated with each other remotely by radio and confirmed that each team was ready to go before launching an attack. The phrase is also speculated to be related to the process of an airplane pilot going through a pre-flight checklist. Once completed and prior to takeoff, the officer signaled to a co-pilot or other aviators that he was “ready to go” when he was ready to begin the takeoff procedure. The early days of the space program may also have served as the origin for the phrase, when astronauts confirmed their status before a final launch procedure was underway.
While its origins are obscure, the phrase is commonly used in the United States. Like many idioms, it has an alliterative sound that lends itself easily to memory and conversation. It’s also a terse and friendly way for someone to express that they’re tired of waiting for something to happen, without being outright offensive by saying it.
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