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Dictionary

Words, grammatical forms and meanings linked to the ontology.

shape up or ship out en · VERB

Pronunciation

Meanings

  1. (idiomatic) To either improve one's behavior or else be required to leave; to either improve one's performance in an activity or else withdraw from that activity completely.
    • Portions of those letters quoted by Bruccoli indicate that though Hemingway could be sympathetic, he used a lot of ink telling Fitzgerald to shape up or ship out. 1978 April 3, R. Z. Sheppard, “The Far Side of Friendship (review of Scott and Ernest by Matthew J. Bruccoli)”, in Time:

Forms

SpellingFeaturesLabelsSource
shapes up or ships out Number=Sing, Person=3, Tense=Pres lexicographic
shaping up or shipping out Tense=Pres, VerbForm=Part lexicographic
shaped up or shipped out Tense=Past, VerbForm=Part lexicographic
shaped up or shipped out Tense=Past lexicographic

Relateds

shit or get off the pot · up or out · fit in or fuck off

Translations (3)

pl do roboty albo do widzenia (to either improve one's behavior or else be required to leave) · hu megszoksz vagy megszöksz (to either improve one's behavior or else be required to leave) · hu vagy megszoksz, vagy megszöksz (to either improve one's behavior or else be required to leave)