shake a leg

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Dance, as in Whenever there was music he was eager to shake a leg. [Colloquial; first half of 1800s]

Hurry up, as in Shake a leg or we'll miss the plane. [Colloquial; first half of 1800s]

QUIZZES

Are you aware how often people swap around “their,” “there,” and “they’re”? Prove you have more than a fair grasp over these commonly confused words.

Question 1 of 7

Which one of these commonly confused words can act as an adverb or a pronoun?

Even internally in the House, women are not getting their fair shake.
The Unbearable Whiteness of Congress|Dean Obeidallah|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
ROME — What does it take for a Hollywood A-lister to get a private audience with Pope Francis?
Pope Francis Has the Pleasure of Meeting Angelina Jolie for a Few Seconds|Barbie Latza Nadeau|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
I did a ten minute scene in his class: the guy who had gangrene in his leg in The Snows of Kilimanjaro.
The Story Behind Lee Marvin’s Liberty Valance Smile|Robert Ward|January 3, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Yes, Byrd—dead four-and-a-half years now—was a Kleagle in the Ku Klux Klan.
Steve Scalise and the Right’s Ridiculous Racial Blame Game|Michael Tomasky|January 2, 2015|DAILY BEAST

Imagine waking up to find a guy who looks like a tech startup employee eating your charred crispy leg.
The Red Viper, Zoe Barnes, and the Best Fictional Deaths of 2014|Melissa Leon|January 1, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Now-a-days it is the bankrupt who flouts, and his too confiding creditors who are jeered and laughed at.
Glances at Europe|Horace Greeley
The women at once rose and began to shake out their draperies and relax their muscles.
The Awakening and Selected Short Stories|Kate Chopin
He felt himself the meanest, vilest thing a-crawl upon this sinful earth, and she—dear God!
St. Martin's Summer|Rafael Sabatini
All that scientific bric-a-brac in the cupboard had far better be thrown away.
The Salvaging Of Civilisation|H. G. (Herbert George) Wells
I would not trust their removal to any other hand, and so, the panel comes out without a shake.
Checkmate|Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu