starting

(See also BEGINNINGS, INITIATION, PREPARATION.)

get a move on To get going, to proceed; move speedily or efficiently. This original U.S. expression dates from the late 1800s.

A more picturesque variant is the American slang get a wiggle on, current since the turn of the century. This expression plays on the image of one’s posture while running or walking quickly, a more defined image than that conjured up by the word move in the former expression.

get cracking To get moving, to get started on; to hustle, hurry. Although the origin of this slang expression is unknown, it may be related to a relatively uncommon meaning of crack ‘to move or travel speedily, to whip along,’ which dates from the early 19th century. The phrase get cracking itself, however, appears to be of fairly recent origin.

get on the stick To get on the ball, to get started or going, to get a move on. Although the meaning of stick in the expression is not clear, the phrase nevertheless enjoys widespread popularity. It is often used as an imperative.

get the show on the road To get any undertaking under way, but most often to start off on a trip of some kind; to hit the road; usually used in reference to a group of people and their belongings. This expression probably derives from traveling shows, such as theatrical troupes, circuses, etc., which regularly toured the countryside giving performances along the way.

let her go, Gallagher! Let’s go; let’s get started without delay. The “Gallagher” to whom this advice is given may be one or none of the legendary people cited in various folklore explanations. He may have been a cab driver in Australia, a hangman in Galveston (Texas), a warden in St. Louis, the owner of a broken-down nag (horse) in Texas, a street-car operator in New Orleans, St. Louis, Chicago, Galveston, or Camden, New Jersey; or any of an almost endless list of folk heroes named Gallagher. Most likely, “Gallagher” was chosen because it is close in sound to “let ’er go.” In spite of the amorphous nature of this “Gallagher,” the expression has enjoyed international popularity for more than a hundred years.

pull one’s socks up To get on the stick or on the ball, to get a move on, to shape up, to show more stuff. This British colloquialism apparently had the earlier sense of bracing one-self for an effort, probably in reference to the way runners pull up their socks before starting off on a race. Or the expression may simply refer to making one-self presentable in appearance.

put one’s hand to the plow To undertake a task, to get down to business; to embark on a course of action.

The allusion is to Jesus’ admonishment of a man who said he would follow Him but only after bidding his family farewell.

shake a leg To get a move on, to get going, to hurry up; to dance. This expression meaning ’to dance’ dates from the 17th century. Currently, the other meanings are more common.

step on the gas To speed up; also, step on it. This expression alludes to the speeding up of a car by depressing the accelerator. The phrase enjoys widespread use in the United States and Great Britain.

The phrase is often used imperatively, directing a slothful or sluggish performer to increase his pace.

stir one’s stumps To get a move on, to get into action; to shake a leg. In this expression, stumps alludes to the legs, or to the wooden prosthetic attachment fastened to a stump or mangled limb. Use of this rather indelicate phrase has declined since the 19th century.