Idiom
get your skates on
Meanings
To hurry up; to start moving or acting faster.
Definition
To start doing something quickly because you are late or need to hurry.
If someone tells you to get your skates on, they want you to hurry up and not waste time. It is often used as a friendly but firm instruction when someone is moving too slowly. The phrase is common in British English and is usually said in informal situations.
Examples
- Get your skates on or we’ll miss the train.
- I told myself to get my skates on and finish the report before lunch.
- He needs to get his skates on if he wants to make the 9 o’clock meeting.
- She got her skates on as soon as she heard the taxi had arrived.
- They should get their skates on because the film starts in ten minutes.
Common mistake
Learners sometimes use this idiom in very formal or professional writing, but it is mainly informal spoken British English.
More at B2 level
- Bob's your uncle Used to say that something will be easy or will happen exactly as expected after a simple step.
- touch base To touch base means to briefly contact someone to share updates, confirm plans, or check progress.
- ballpark figure A ballpark figure is an approximate number or estimate, not an exact one.
- take the mickey To take the mickey means to mock someone or tease them in an unkind or cheeky way.
- cheap as chips Very cheap; costing very little money.
More idioms
- Bob's your uncle Used to say that something will be easy or will happen exactly as expected after a simple step.
- close but no cigar Used to say someone almost succeeded but did not quite achieve the goal.
- down to the wire Used to say something is decided or finished only at the last possible moment.
- lost the plot To become confused or behave in a way that no longer makes sense.
- ducks in a row To have everything organized and ready for action.