# roll up one's sleeves

idiom

Source: https://englishreference.com/idiom/roll-up-ones-sleeves
Updated: 2026-08-10

## Meaning

To prepare to work.

## Examples

- It is time to roll up our sleeves and finish this.
- The project deadline is tomorrow, so we need to roll up our sleeves and work through the night.
- Facing a mountain of neglected paperwork, the new manager rolled up her sleeves and began the arduous task of restoring order to the office.

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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.