show a leg

show a leg

English

Etymology

Supposedly originated in the 19th-century Royal Navy as a waking call.[1]

Pronunciation

• Audio (AU)

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Verb

show a leg (third-person singular simple present shows a leg, present participle showing a leg, simple past showed a leg, past participle shown a leg)

1. (idiomatic, nautical, chiefly imperative) To wake up and get out of bed.

   Show a leg or you’re going to be late.

See also

• shake a leg

References

1. National Maritime Museum