right on

1. An indication of support, enthusiasm, agreement, or encouragement. A: "I got the job!" B: "Hey, right on, man! That's great news." A: "I was thinking we could go for burritos for lunch." B: "Right on, that sounds good to me."

2. Exactly right; perfectly accurate. Mr. Lynch's analysis of the company is right on, if you ask me. I suggest we follow whatever advice he offers.

See also: on, right

Right on!

Sl. Exactly!; That is exactly right! After the speaker finished, many people in the audience shouted, "Right on!" One member of the crowd called out, "Right on!"

right on

An exclamation of enthusiasm or encouragement, as in You've said it really well-right on! This interjection has a disputed origin. Some believe it comes from African-American slang (it was recorded in Odum and Johnson's The Negro and His Songs, 1925); others feel it is a shortening of right on target, used by military airmen, or right on cue, theatrical slang for saying the right lines at the right time. [Slang; first half of 1900s] Also see way to go.

See also: on, right

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

right on

used as an expression of strong support, approval, or encouragement. informal

See also: on, right

Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017

right ˈon

(spoken) used to express strong approval or encouragement ▶ ˌright-ˈon adj. (informal, sometimes disapproving) having political opinions or being aware of social issues that are fashionable and left-wing: They pretend to be so right-on, but are they really?

See also: on, right

Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017

Right on!

exclam. Exactly!; That is exactly right! After the speaker finished, many people in the audience shouted, “Right on!”

right on

Slang Used as an exclamation of encouragement, support, or enthusiastic agreement.

See also: on, right

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

right on!

Keep going; you’re on the right track/doing well. This term dates from the early twentieth century, and there is some dispute over its origin. Several sources trace it to the 1920s in African-American speech; another holds it is an American version of the British Bang on! used by airmen during World War II, or possibly a shortening of Right on target. Still another holds it is a shortening of Right on cue, a reference to uttering the correct lines in a play. In any event, it became widely used in the 1950s and 1960s. Kate Millett had it in Flying (1974): “Right on, Vita, so you must have waged your woman’s war for years.”