What it means
Bash pulls double duty in British English. It can be a party, usually a laid-back one with a bit of noise and no fancy dress code, and it can also mean an attempt. If you have a bash at something, you give it a go without needing a masterplan. If you throw a bash, you’re the one putting the drinks out and hoping nobody wrecks the kitchen.
Usage examples
"We’re having a little bash for Dave’s retirement at the local. I’ll have a bash at the playlist, but if it’s all ’90s cheese, you’re on."
"Phil is throwing a bash at the working men’s club for his fortieth, two kegs, a karaoke machine, and a vegetarian buffet that his wife organised after he tried to argue that crisps counted as a complete meal for sixty people."
"I will have a bash at the sourdough starter recipe one of these weekends, the flour is in the cupboard, the jar is on the shelf, and the only thing missing is the patience that I am told is the proper key ingredient."
"We’re having a bash round ours on Friday, nothing fancy, just tunes, cans, and whoever turns up turns up."
"I’ve never fixed a bike chain in my life, but I’ll have a bash if you hand me the tools."
Where it comes from
Bash first meant a heavy blow, a sense English had by the 17th century, likely from Scandinavian kin. The party sense shows up later in American English for a lively, rowdy gathering, then spreads to Britain by the early 20th century. The try sense in have a bash keeps that older feel of taking a swing at something.
Other ways to say it
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