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Glite Dictionary
to pull one's finger out

to pull one's finger out

9.3
To start working hard after not doing much
  • idiom
  • UK
translation icon : ponerse las pilas
  • Chance to dethrone any one of the Klitschko as long as Fury pulls his finger out and trains like a man who wants to become world champion.

Examples

  • The police have pulled their finger out and identified him.

    A Perfect Place (2008)

  • If the team wants to win the championship, they need to pull their fingers out and start practicing every day.

  • If we don't pull our fingers out, we'll miss the deadline.

    Fantasm Comes Again (1977)

  • After months of delays, the company decided to pull its finger out and launch the new product.

  • It's time for you to pull your finger out and get started on your assignments before the due date.

Synonyms

to knuckle down
vsto pull one's finger out
  • Informal
4 4.5

To start working hard after not doing much before

asks for increased effort after delay without stressing extreme intensity
to put one's shoulder to the wheel
vsto pull one's finger out
  • Informal
2 7.5

To start working very hard to reach a goal

focuses on starting effort after procrastination rather than long determination
to get on the stick
vsto pull one's finger out
  • Informal
1 9.7

To start working hard without delay

is more informal and bluntly asks to stop delaying and act
to get one's finger out
vsto pull one's finger out
  • UK
1 9.9

To start working or trying harder after putting things off

is the general informal command urging harder effort after delay
to pull your finger out
vsto pull one's finger out
  • UK
9.3

To start trying much harder after being lazy

is the same idea but phrased in a general impersonal way
to get your ass in gear
vsto pull one's finger out
  • Offensive
9.9

To start working quickly and seriously

is less rude while still urging action after a period of inactivity

Antonyms

to procrastinate
26 6.5

To delay doing something you should do because you avoid it

to idle
1 3.2

To spend time doing nothing

How Active

to crack on
  • UK
9 6.8
to get a move on
  • Informal
40 3.4
to pull one's finger out
  • UK
9.3
to get going
422 2.3
to start
∞ 1.0

Surface Forms

pull one's finger out infinitive
pulled one's finger out past
pulled one's finger out past participle
pulling one's finger out present participle
pulls one's finger out third person singular

Morphology

pull + one + finger + out

This is an idiomatic, metaphorical British informal expression whose meaning ('start working harder/stop procrastinating') is not a straightforward composition of 'pull' + 'one's finger' + 'out'. A B1 learner who knows the individual words would not reliably derive this exhortative sense without prior exposure because the literal action does not transparently map onto the intended pragmatic meaning, making it culturally specific and unpredictable.

Etymology

Pull one's finger out may come from an image of someone with a finger stuck in a sleeve or small hole and not doing anything. When they pull their finger out they can use their hand and 'get moving', so the phrase means 'to start working harder'.