# get your act together

idiom · CEFR B2

Source: https://englishreference.com/idiom/get-your-act-together
Updated: 2026-06-07

## Meaning

Work better or leave

## Examples

- You need to get your act together if you want to keep this job.
- The manager warned him that he must get his act together and start arriving on time or he would face a formal warning.
- After several months of declining productivity and missed deadlines, the department head told the team they needed to get their act together to avoid a complete restructuring of the office.

## Origin

Mid-20th-century American show-business slang: performers needed to polish and organise their 'act' before going on stage. (disputed)

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.