English in a Minute: Get Cracking

Welcome to English in a Minute!  If you crack something, you break it. But what does someone mean if they tell you to “get cracking?”   A: Dan, can you help me with my proposal?   D: You mean the one that’s due tonight? Let me see what you’ve got.   A: Well, I don’t have much…or,uh,anything.  D: Are you serious? You only have five hours!   A: Well then, we’d better get cracking!  D: We?   “Get cracking” is a way of telling someone to do something right away. You can also say it about yourself, as in “I should get cracking on my homework.” People sometimes drop the full “ing” sound and just say “get crackin’!”   And that’s English in a Minute!   --------- Learning English is Voice of America’s multimedia source of news and information for millions of English learners worldwide. We help you build vocabulary, strengthen your speaking skills and improve your ability to communicate for work, school and everyday life. EXPLORE OUR PLAYLISTS: » Learning English Podcast:    • Learning English Podcast   » Let's Learn English with Anna! (For children 8-12)    • Let's Learn English with Anna   » Let's Learn English Level 1    • Let's Learn English   » Let's Learn English Level 2    • Let's Learn English Level 2   » VISIT OUR WEBSITE: https://learningenglish.voanews.com » LIKE OUR FACEBOOK PAGE:   / voalearningenglish   » FOLLOW US ON INSTAGRAM:   / voalearningenglish   » FOLLOW US ON TWITTER:   / voalearnenglish   » SUBSCRIBE TO OUR PODCAST ON ITUNES: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/v... Voice of America (VOA) is the largest U.S. international broadcaster, providing news and information in more than 40 languages to an estimated weekly audience of 326 million people.