• Idiom – Get your skates on or Put your skates on
  • Meaning –  Hurry up. This expression is used to tell someone to do something faster. The idiom Get your skates on is usually used as an order.
  • This idiom is common in the UK and Australia.
  • The word skates in this idiom likely refers to roller skates or ice skates. Imagine someone moving quickly wearing a pair of skates.

Here are some other expressions we can use to tell somebody to hurry up:

  • Get a move on – This expression is an order and is often used in an impolite way. “Get a move on or we’ll be late!”
  • Get a wriggle on (UK) or Get a wiggle on (US)
  • Make it snappy – A British idiom that is used to tell someone that they should do something immediately. This expression is usually used in a humorous way. “Bring me a glass of water, and make it snappy!”
  • Shake a leg – This is an old-fashioned British idiom. “Shake a leg or we’ll miss the bus.”
Example:
  • “Our flight leaves in 15 minutes. Get your skates on or we’ll miss it!”
Discuss:
  • Is there an idiom like this in your country?
What is an idiom?

An idiom is a word or phrase that is not taken literally.  An idiom is an expression that cannot be understood from the meanings of its individual words, but has a separate meaning of its own.