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get the show on the road

/ˌgɛt ðə ˈʃoʊ ən ðə ˈroʊd/
IPA guide

Other forms: getting the show on the road; gets the show on the road; got the show on the road; gotten the show on the road

To get the show on the road is to get an activity going. If you and your group have to hand in your geography project in two days and all you've done so far is divide up the responsibilities, you'd better get the show on the road!

The idiom get the show on the road comes from the world of theater, where an acting company would travel to different towns to perform a show. There would be a lot of advance preparation, like gathering the props, set, and costumes and loading them onto vehicles, and some actors might be off in a corner practicing their lines. But when it was time to leave, the director or stage manager would say, "OK, let's get this show on the road!" This still happens.

Definitions of get the show on the road
  1. idiom
    get started on a planned activity, often after much preparation or wasting time
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