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Get a wiggle on

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

"Get a wiggle on" is an idiom and colloquial expression in the English language, originating in the 18th century. It means to hurry up; get a move on.

  • Get a wiggle on, or we'll miss the beginning of the concert.
  • If you don't get a wiggle on, we'll miss the first act.

Etymology

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In 1891 Wilson's Photographic Magazine published "The American Psalm of Life" which began, "Get a wiggle on, my lad, Don't walk at a funeral pace..."[1] By 1919 the phrase was also used in a song, "Get a wiggle on, get a wiggle on, Don't stand there with a giggle-on."[2] By the 1920s the term had found its way into the American language as slang.[3]

History

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The Cambridge Dictionary defines the phrase as meaning to hurry up.[4] Get a wiggle on is both an English language idiom and a Colloquial Expression.[5] The phrase has been in use since 1891 and is still being used in the 21st century.[6] The phrase is also slang in Australia and it appears in the Aussie Slang Dictionary[7]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Wilson, Edward (1891). The Photographic Journal of America. New York: Edward L. Wilson. ISBN 978-1343802001. Retrieved 2 November 2022.
  2. ^ California Cultivator. Los Angeles CA: The Cultivator Publishing Company. 24 May 1919. p. 737. Retrieved 2 November 2022.
  3. ^ Carter, JoAnn (2012). The Roarin' Twenties Book Two. Castaic, Ca: Desert Breeze Publishing. ISBN 978-1-61252-142-8. Retrieved 2 November 2022.
  4. ^ "get a wiggle on". Cambridge Dictionary. Retrieved 2 November 2022.
  5. ^ "Get a wiggle on!". The Free Dictionary. Retrieved 2 November 2022.
  6. ^ "Time to Get Your Wiggle On". Alameda Sun. 5 June 2014. Retrieved 2 November 2022.
  7. ^ "Get a Wriggle On". Aussie Slang Dictionary. Slang.com.au. 16 February 2014. Retrieved 2 November 2022.