shake a leg

verb

To get busy; to get going; to be productive.

“Shake a leg! We haven't got all day.”

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Meanings

verbshake a leg (third-person singular simple present shakes a leg, present participle shaking a leg, simple past shook a leg, past participle shaken a leg)

present singular third person shakes a leg · participle present shaking a leg · past shook a leg · participle past shaken a leg

  1. idiomaticfrequently imperativeTo get busy; to get going; to be productive.

    Shake a leg! We haven't got all day.

    1 more example

    C'mon! Let's shake a leg on to Rogueport!

    2004, Intelligent Systems, translated by Nintendo of America, Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, Nintendo, GameCube, level/area: Keelhaul Key

Synonyms & antonyms

Also see
let's go

Translations

Czech pohnout kostrou
  • pohnout kostrouget busy; get going; be productive
French se secouer
  • se secouerget busy; get going; be productive
Russian шевелись
  • шевелись (ševelisʹ)get busy; get going; be productive
Cite this entry
APA

shake a leg. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/shake%20a%20leg

MLA

“shake a leg.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/shake%20a%20leg. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “shake a leg,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/shake%20a%20leg.

Source: shake a leg on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.