get the lead out


get the lead out

To do something at a faster pace. (Lead is a very heavy metal.) Come on, these papers won't copy themselves—get the lead out, fellas!See also: get, lead, out

get the lead out

 and shake the lead outInf. to hurry; to move faster. (This originally refers to getting lead weights (used in exercise) off so you can move faster.) Come on, you guys. Get the lead out! If you're going to sell cars, you're going to have to shake the lead out.See also: get, lead, out

get the lead out

Also, get the lead out of one's feet or pants . Hurry up, move faster. For example, Get the lead out of your pants, kids, or we'll be late, or, even more figuratively, Arthur is the slowest talker-he can't seem to get the lead out and make his point. This expression implies that lead, the heaviest of the base metals, is preventing one from moving. [Slang; first half of 1900s] See also: get, lead, out

get the lead out

AMERICAN, INFORMALIf you tell someone to get the lead out, you mean that they should start moving or working faster. Note: Lead is a very heavy metal. You had better get the lead out and start producing stories or start looking for another job. Note: This expression comes from the idea that if you have lead in your trousers, the weight makes you move slowly. See also: get, lead, out

get the lead out

move or work more quickly; hurry up. North American informal This expression originated as mid 20th-century jazz slang, meaning ‘play at a brisk speed’. A fuller version is get the lead out of your pants . Renowned for its weight, the metal lead appears in a number of expressions as a metaphor for inertness or heaviness (see, for example, go down like a lead balloon below and swing the lead at swing).See also: get, lead, out

Get the lead out!

exclam. Get moving!; Hurry up! (Crude. It is assumed that one has bowels full of lead.) Come on, you turkeys. Get the lead out! See also: get, lead

get the lead out

Informal To start moving or move more rapidly.See also: get, lead, out