It might, at that

[Maybo]

"Well... a reporter from The Weekly Sun wants to write a story about me."
Mr. Bowditch rolled his eyes. "That rag. Are you going to do it?"
"My dad wants me to. He said it might help with my apps."
"It might, at that. Although ... hardly The New York Crimes, is it?"

Source: Fairy Tale by Stephen King

What does "at that" mean?

 

[Tarheel]

Putting the words "at that" at the end of a sentence is like saying, "You know, I think you're right." The speaker is expressing agreement. It's quite common.

 

[tedmc]

The phrase is commonly used to reinforce a statement.
Example:
He is a writer, and a good one at that.

 

[Maybo]

It seems similar to “really”.

 

[Tarheel]

It seems similar to “really”.

How so?

 

[Maybo]

He is a writer, and a good one at that.

He is a writer and a good one really.

 

[Tarheel]

No. But you might say:

He's a writer -- a really good one.

 

[emsr2d2]

Did you try Googling "definition of at that" before you asked us? I just did that and got plenty of hits such as THIS one.

 

[Maybo]

Did you try Googling "definition of at that" before you asked us? I just did that and got plenty of hits such as THIS one.

Yes.

But I don't understand "It might, at that". If I put "in addition to that" in the sentence: "In addition to that, it might" / "It might additionally" I don't understand.

 

[Tarheel]

Yes--additionally. One more thing. You could say: It's too expensive, and on top of that it's out of date.

You use "at that" for emphasis. (Ted's example is a good one.)

He's a good swimmer -- and fast too.
He's a good swimmer -- and a fast one at that.

You could say it (at that) is part of a family of emphasizes.

Am I making sense?