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"Get at something" means to reach somewhere,like: I can't get at the sweets.

Is it used a lot of times to mean " I can't reach there.".

Like: The blackboard has been put too high,so can I use:

I can't get at the top of the board.

Or

I can't reach the top of the board.

So what should be used:"reach/get at"? Can only "get" be used to

Thank you:)

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You could say, "I can't get at the top of the board," but it sounds more natural to say, "I can't reach the top of the board."

Using just plain "get" ("I can't get the top of the board") doesn't give you the meaning you want. "Get" means "acquire", "take", or "receive". So "I can't get the top of the board" would imply you were trying to possess it.

I would stick with "reach". It literally means what you want to say.

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  • Agreed. But it might be worth explicitly making the point that I can't get at X usually implies inability to reach / get hold of / retrieve X (that's to say, X is usually the thing you're trying to "acquire", rather than it's hard-to-reach location). But including at usually implies X is known to be in some specific location - it's just not possible to acquire access to it (to grab it, for example). Commented Jan 29, 2019 at 17:23
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    To be able to "get at" something is to have access to it. We put fences around sites that have high-voltage bare electrical conductors so that people can't get at them. Commented Jan 29, 2019 at 17:39
  • @Michael Harvey: But She really gets at / to me would normally mean She irritates / moves me, whereas She really gets me would normally mean She understands me. Commented Jan 29, 2019 at 17:58
  • "Get at" something, at least in Britain, can be used in connection with tools or implements - if you get at a stuck bolt with a hammer and chisel (or a blowlamp/blowtorch) you might be able to loosen it. Commented Jan 29, 2019 at 18:14

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