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Glite Dictionary
to get skates on

to get skates on

1 8.6
Hurry up and start doing something
  • phrasal verb
  • UK
translation icon : apresurarse
  • I couldn't get my skates on, so he helped me.

Examples

  • One hour and counting until the next show, so I'd get my skates on if I were you.

    Lockout (2012)

  • Well, get your skates on.

    Windrider (1986)

  • - Get your skates on.

    The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp (1943)

  • "Get your skates on and I'll take you somewhere interesting."

    Fiction book (1998)

  • So we'd better get our skates on.

    The Tailor of Panama (2001)

  • "And if I don't get my skates on, it'll be my hide, too."

    Fiction book (1991)

  • Meanwhile, Dr. Harmony should get her skates on and hustle over to Animal Preservation, where my pal Grunt will be staring into the eye of a pretty nasty hypodermic about now.

    Fiction book (2002)

  • "Sally's up a ladder, painting hard, and Duncan's giving her stalwart backup by opening beers." "Then we'd best get our skates on," said Gus.

    Fiction book (1995)

  • You need to get skates on if you want to catch the bus.

  • Quick! Get skates on, or we will be late for the meeting.

Synonyms

to hurry
vsto get skates on
∞ 1.0

To move or act quickly because there is little time

adds idea of starting promptly as well as speeding up action
to hurry up
vsto get skates on
  • Informal
637 1.0

To move or act more quickly to avoid being late

focuses equally on starting quickly as well as speeding up activity
to move it
vsto get skates on
  • Informal
512 6.7

To hurry so you do something faster, often to avoid being late

urges quick start or action rather than only informal command
to get a move on
vsto get skates on
  • Informal
40 3.4

Hurry and start moving faster

is more about starting quickly rather than only mild prompting
to step on it
vsto get skates on
  • Informal
35 5.2

To hurry and go faster, often when driving

presses for quick start in general situations not only driving
to get cracking
vsto get skates on
  • Informal
12 5.8

Start working quickly and with energy

emphasizes starting fast but also plain quickness without energetic tone

Antonyms

to slow down
687 1.4

To move or act more slowly

How Quickly

to step on it
  • Informal
35 5.2
rush
1 4.1
to hurry up
  • Informal
637 1.0
to get skates on
  • UK
1 8.6
to get moving
  • Informal
62 1.6

Surface Forms

get skates on infinitive
got skates on past
got skates on past participle
getting skates on present participle
gets skates on third person singular

Morphology

get + skate + on

The literal parts ('get' + 'skates' + 'on' = put skates on) give a clue because skates imply speed, but the intended sense 'hurry up / start acting quickly' is a metaphorical extension rather than a direct compositional meaning. A B1 learner who knows the words might guess something about movement or speed but would not reliably predict the idiomatic command to hurry without prior exposure, so the expression is partially but not fully transparent.

Etymology

Get skates on comes from the picture of someone putting on skates to move faster. One popular story says people would literally 'get their skates on' to speed away, so today it means 'to hurry up' or 'start acting quickly'.