rolling up one's sleeves
Getting to work
Rolling up one's sleeves is preparing for hard work or serious effort.
The literal act—folding shirt sleeves above the elbows—keeps fabric out of the way during physical labor.
The figurative sense dominates: Congress needs to roll up its sleeves and address the budget.
It signals readiness to engage directly with a difficult task rather than delegate or avoid it.
- laboringWorking strenuously
- gearing upPreparing for something ahead
- foldBend onto itself
- perseveringMaintaining effort despite difficulty
- getting readyPreparation before an event
toiling · sweat · elbow grease · committing · exerting · heavy lifting · bracing · getting down to business · buckling down · digging in · persisting · grinding · nose to the grindstone · elbow · grit · fixing · dirty work · pushing forward
rolling up one's sleevessitting on one's hands
Choosing not to intervene
twiddling one's thumbs · sitting back · slacking off · phoning it in · shirking
rolling up one's sleevesdelegating
Transferring authority to another
rolling up one's sleevesdragging one's feet
Intentionally slowing progress
hesitating · balking · procrastinating · dithering · holding back
rolls, rolled, roller, rollers, rolling, sleeve, sleeves, sleeved, sleeveless