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Shake a leg

Idiomatic Phrase
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

A command to hurry up or move quickly; informal imperative urging faster action, often used when impatience grows or delay becomes unacceptable in urgent situations.

Detailed Definition
Shake a leg means to hurry up, begin moving, or act more quickly. In poetry, the idiom can create a lively, colloquial voice, especially in scenes of morning, travel, labour, performance, or urgent departure. Its physical command makes time pressure visible through the body. It can sound affectionate, comic, impatient, or military depending on speaker and context. A poet may use it to contrast brisk practical action with inward reluctance, sleepiness, fear, or the desire to delay.
Example
Example in poetry:
A comic morning poem might have the mother cry shake a leg while the lazy children cling to sleep; In a dance poem, shake a leg can become a cheerful invitation to move; The phrase means hurry up or begin moving; A poet can use it for lively speech.
Additional Notes
Shake a leg means hurry up or begin moving quickly. It is informal, energetic, and often used in commands. In poetry, it can establish a brisk voice, military or theatrical urgency, parental impatience, or comic morning bustle. The leg image makes time pressure bodily: delay must become movement. Students should compare it with get cracking and rise and shine. It suits dialogue, song-like verse, and scenes of reluctant action.
Also Known As
hurry
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