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‘Go on’ has a lot of meanings in dictionaries, which makes me confused. What’s the omitted words and meanings of ‘go on’ in the following scene?

(They are gambling on a sport in the magical world.)

”I’ve already got Roddy Pontner betting me Bulgaria will score first – I offered him nice odds, considering Ireland’s front three are the strongest I’ve seen in years – and little Agatha Timms has put up half shares in her eel farm on a week-long match.”

”Oh … go on then,” said Mr. Weasley. “Let’s see … a Galleon on Ireland to win?”

(Harry Potter 4 [US Version]: p.88)

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-Thanks. Both of your answers gave me an inspiration. What the first speaker said virtually means “Could I invite you to a bet?”, didn’t it? In a manner of speaking, my question seems to be a matter of context, not of a phrasal verb. Thanks again. – user7493 Oct 1 '11 at 6:40

2 Answers

up vote 6 down vote accepted

Go on can mean please proceed or go ahead and do it. This this case, it may mean "Oh... please proceed and make the bet then," said Mr. Weasley.

There is also a British informal use of go on that means you can't be serious in a bashful or embarrassed tone.

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Oh, I see. I sometimes see that ‘go on’ in Harry Potter books. Great. Thanks for the info. – user7493 Oct 1 '11 at 6:39
up vote 1 down vote

There is no missing word, the ... is just a pause.

"Oh … go on then" means "Ok, I'm persuaded to do it"

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