👏 A word of praise 👏 To praise a girl

attagirl

1 9.6

To praise a girl or woman for doing something well

interjection
/ˌætəˈɡɜrl/

Informal

: ¡bien hecho!

Oh, attagirl.

Examples

Come on, come on, attagirl!

Bobbie Jo and the Outlaw (1976)
Oh, attagirl.

Men, Women & Children (2014)
Well, attagirl.

Married to It (1991)
ATTAGIRL!

Mothman (2010)
Attagirl! You really nailed that presentation.
When she scored the winning goal, the coach shouted, "Attagirl!"
After finishing her project ahead of schedule, her friend cheered, "Attagirl!"

Synonyms

nice one

vsattagirl

16 7.4

A short way to show approval or praise for something done well

is used to praise or encourage a female for achievement or effort

woohoo

vsattagirl

Informal

5 7.4

A loud shout people make to show excitement or joy

is meant to praise or encourage a female for achievement or effort

attaboy

vsattagirl

Archaic

1 9.9

A short shout that praises a man

is aimed at a female rather than a male

brava

vsattagirl

9.6

An exclamation praising a woman performer after a music or theatre show

is used for praise of a female in many situations, not only performances

arriba

vsattagirl

Informal

9.7

A shout people use to show excitement or support

is informal praise for a female rather than a general cheer

magnifique

vsattagirl

9.8

Said when you strongly admire or enjoy something

is informal encouragement for a female rather than a broad admiring exclamation

viva

vsattagirl

8.2

A loud shout to show support or celebration for someone

is used to praise or encourage a female for her specific effort or success

How Encouraging

excellent

∞ 1.0

well done

84 1.8

attagirl

Informal

1 9.6

bravo

131 5.3

to be a good girl

Baby Talk

44 4.9

Surface Forms

attagirl main

Morphology

attagirl = girl (semi-transparent) = atta + girl

The element 'girl' is clear, but the colloquial prefixed form 'atta-' (from 'that's a') is informal and may be unfamiliar to learners, so the relation is not fully productive.

Etymology

Attagirl comes from the quick form atta, which is short for the words 'that's a' said fast before 'girl', much like in attaboy. It began as a short cheer 'that's a girl!' and that's why attagirl is used as a bright shout of praise to encourage a girl or woman.