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.