Meanings
present singular third person pulls one's socks up · participle present pulling one's socks up · participle past pulled one's socks up · past pulled one's socks up
- idiomaticTo start making an effort; to renew or redouble one's efforts.
They're all going to pull their socks up and play a bit better.
2000 October 20, Jeff Zillgitt, “U.S. dominates first day of Presidents Cup”, in USA Today, retrieved 30 Sep 2008Synonyms: belly up to the bar, get one's act together, knuckle down, roll up one's sleeves, shape up
Synonyms & antonyms
verbTo start making an effort; to renew or redouble one's efforts.
Translations
Chinese Mandarin 鼓起勇气
- 鼓起勇气to start making an effort; to renew or redouble one's efforts
Dutch een tandje bijzetten
- een tandje bijzettento start making an effort; to renew or redouble one's efforts
Finnish kääriä hihansa, ryhdistäytyä
- kääriä hihansato start making an effort; to renew or redouble one's efforts
- ryhdistäytyäto start making an effort; to renew or redouble one's efforts
German sich am Riemen reißen
- sich am Riemen reißento start making an effort; to renew or redouble one's efforts
Hungarian felköti a gatyáját
- felköti a gatyájátto start making an effort; to renew or redouble one's efforts
Italian rimboccarsi le maniche, darsi da fare
- rimboccarsi le manicheto start making an effort; to renew or redouble one's efforts
- darsi da fareto start making an effort; to renew or redouble one's efforts
- prodigarsito start making an effort; to renew or redouble one's efforts
Polish zakasywać rękawy, zakasać rękawy
- zakasywać rękawyto start making an effort; to renew or redouble one's efforts
- zakasać rękawyto start making an effort; to renew or redouble one's efforts
Portuguese pôr a mão na massa, pôr as mãos na massa
- pôr a mão na massato start making an effort; to renew or redouble one's efforts
- pôr as mãos na massato start making an effort; to renew or redouble one's efforts
Russian заката́ть рукава́, засучи́ть рукава́
- заката́ть рукава́ (zakatátʹ rukavá)to start making an effort; to renew or redouble one's efforts
- засучи́ть рукава́ (zasučítʹ rukavá)to start making an effort; to renew or redouble one's efforts
Spanish ponerse las pilas
- ponerse las pilasto start making an effort; to renew or redouble one's efforts
Cite this entry
pull one's socks up. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/pull%20one's%20socks%20up
“pull one's socks up.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/pull%20one's%20socks%20up. Accessed November 5, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “pull one's socks up,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/pull%20one's%20socks%20up.
Source: pull one's socks up on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.