get in the boat and row

English

WOTD – 3 August 2024

Etymology

From the image of a person or group of people stepping into a boat and rowing to get it moving.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˌɡɛt‿ɪn ðə ˈbəʊt n̩ ˈɹəʊ/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˌɡɛt‿ɪn ðə ˈboʊt n̩ ˈɹoʊ/

• Audio (General Australian):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -əʊ

Verb

get in the boat and row (third-person singular simple present gets in the boat and rows, present participle getting in the boat and rowing, simple past got in the boat and rowed, past participle (UK) got in the boat and rowed or (US) gotten in the boat and rowed)

1. (intransitive, idiomatic) To make a substantial effort, especially in cooperation with others in a group; also, to perform one's share of work.

   (to perform one’s share): Synonym: pull one's weight

   • 1988 September 9, John Rockwell, “City Opera picks successor to [Beverly] Sills”, in The New York Times‎^[1], New York, N.Y.: The New York Times Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2018-01-30:

     Mr. [Christopher] Keene himself only found out he was the committee's choice last Friday, […] "I have to spend the next six months finding out what's going on," he said. "I'm just going to get in the boat and row."

   • 2017 June 1, Knute Berger, quoting William Ruckelshaus, “Seattle's man in middle of Watergate scandal weighs in on Trump's”, in Crosscut.com‎^[2], archived from the original on 2024-05-19:

     He [Ruckelshaus] encourages people not just to complain, but get into public service, or be involved. "Get in the boat and row," is his advice.

   • 2017 September 15, April Nowicki, “Street Culture: Blind References Help Weed Out Drama at Zaius”, in Street Fight Magazine‎^[3], archived from the original on 2022-05-27:

     Everyone has to contribute to the company. Whether they're an individual employee, a team lead, a manager, or someone from the overall executive team, everyone has to get in the boat and row.

Alternative forms

• get in the boat and start rowing

Related terms

• in the same boat

Translations

to make a substantial effort, especially in cooperation with others in a group

• Finnish: ponnistella (fi)
• Galician: please add this translation if you can

to perform one’s share of work

• Finnish: kantaa kortensa kekoon (fi), tehdä oma osuutensa
• Galician: please add this translation if you can