go at like a boy killing snakes

go at something like a boy killing snakes

Rur. to do something with a great deal of energy. Once Mary decided to take that test, she went at her books like a boy killing snakes. I hired Joe to weed my garden, and he went at it like a boy killing snakes.

See also: boy, go, killing, like, snake

McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.