The English language is riddled with a lot of phrases that if you don’t know their meaning you may be left wondering what someone is trying to say to you. These phrases are a great way to make the language more exciting once you do understand them. These are some of the reasons why you should take the time to do so.
An expression that originated in the 1940s, “shape up or ship out” is something we hear said frequently today. It simply means that if you don’t behave yourself you’ll be forced to leave. Originally during World War II, it meant that if a soldier didn’t behave he’d be sent off into a combat zone.
Meaning of the Idiom
When someone tells you to “shape up or ship out” they’re telling you one of three things:
- If you don’t improve your behavior you’ll have to leave
- If you don’t improve your performance in the activity then you’ll have to completely withdraw from participating in it
- If you don’t do better work you’ll have to find a different job
Essentially this is an admonition for one to improve their work, attitude, behavior, or performance or else be forced to leave. “Shape up” is frequently used by itself as an expression that means you need to put things in good order. You may also hear the “ship out” portion of this idiom used by itself as an admonition to leave.
There are many different ways in which you can say “shape up or ship out” including:
- act correctly
- act one’s age
- act with decorum
- be civil
- be good
- be nice
- be on best behavior
- be orderly
- comport oneself
- conduct oneself properly
- demean oneself
- deport oneself
- discipline oneself
- keep one’s nose clean
- keep the peace
- live up to
- manage oneself
- mind one’s manners
- mind one’s p’s and q’s
- observe the golden rule
What you aren’t saying is that someone is coming along nicely or developing in a positive way.
Origin of the Idiom
The phrase “shape up or ship out” dates back to the 1940s which was when World War II was happening. At that time the phrase was widely used in the U.S. Navy when someone was making an admonition to a sailor, telling them that if they don’t meet the Navy’s standards of behavior they’d be transferred (possibly to the brig or overseas to the combat zone). Eventually, veterans who were returning from World War II brought the idiom home to civilian life with them. Today this idiom is often heard in business or social contexts where it means that if you don’t make changes to meet the necessary standards you’ll need to leave or risk being fired.
Understanding Idioms
Idioms are words or phrases that have a figurative meaning that can’t easily be deduced from its literal definition. Typically this is done by using descriptive imagery or metaphors. Many of these types of phrases are used in casual, informal conversations today. This is because they’re able to illustrate emotion faster than a phrase that has a literal meaning.
Idioms are metaphorical and thus it’s widely understood that they shouldn’t be taken literally. Instead, their intended meaning actually goes beyond the words’ literal meanings. Mastering idioms is an important part of being able to use the English language. Unfortunately, many people for whom English isn’t their first language will try to translate phrases like “shape up or ship out” word for word which results in a literal translation of the phrase. This isn’t how the phrase is meant to be taken. In other words, you don’t want someone to actually catch a boat and leave. Instead, you simply want them to act or behave better or do a better job. If they can’t do this then they’ll need to leave but this doesn’t necessitate them taking a ship to do so.
You can’t simply deduce the meaning of an idiom by studying the words that make up the phrase. This is because its symbolic sense means something quite different from what it would mean if you were to take it literally. There are a number of these types of idioms in the English language today.
Why Idioms are Difficult to Understand
Idioms help language evolve. For this reason, you can think of them as their building block. They’re also intense which enables them to make the language more exciting and dynamic. This is why so many people use them when trying to provide a compelling insight into words, languages, and even into speakers’ thought processes. In this way, they’re able to add some mystery and fun to things especially since it isn’t easy to understand most idioms. Non-native English speakers find this to be true. They may even tell you that idioms are strange and make the language challenging to understand.
The Difference Between Idioms, Metaphors, and Similes
Oddly enough, idioms, metaphors, and similes are all similar. Metaphors and similes are even similar in that they’re known as “figures of speech.” The main difference here is that idioms are more commonly used throughout the English language. In fact, almost everyone has probably heard someone being told to “shape up or ship out.” Even if you didn’t know what this idiom meant in the past after you’ve heard it used frequently you’ll definitely know what it means.
Typically, “figures of speech” only differ from one another in their meaning but this is something that can oftentimes be determined by listeners – even those who may be unfamiliar with the phrasing. For instance, you may know what “shape up or ship out” means because you’ve heard it used throughout your entire life. Therefore you don’t even need to stop to think about the meaning of each of the words that are used in it. However, there may be another idiom that you haven’t heard before. Nevertheless, due to the descriptive language that’s used, you’ll be able to deduce what it means.
This is why we can say that all metaphors and similes are idioms. However, we can’t say that all idioms are metaphors or similes. Honestly, all that really matters here is that these things (metaphors, idioms, similes) are all extremely similar. If you didn’t know what the differences between them were or how each of these terms were defined individually you may even say that they’re synonyms.
Idioms Related to the Military
Military terminology and slang are very expressive. There are a lot of cliches (e.g. “bite the bullet”) and other unusual sayings used therein. A few of these are things that we commonly hear today such as:
- AWOL is an acronym that stands for “absent without leave.” In the military, this is used to refer to someone who’s a member of the military that’s deserted their post. However, when it’s used in civilian life it refers to someone who’s literally abandoned a location or has mentally disengaged. It also has a figurative meaning whereby it means that a previously held conviction or opinion has been rejected.
- “Bite the bullet” is an expression that refers to giving a bullet to a wounded soldier to bite down on while surgery was being performed because anesthesia wasn’t available. Today, in civilian use this saying refers to facing a task that’s either difficult or unpleasant.
Use of the Idiom in Sentences
Now that you understand that idioms like “shape up or ship out” aren’t meant to be taken literally and that it’s actually an interesting way of telling someone to get their act together, you may want to start using this idiom in some of your sentences. Here are some examples of how you can do this:
- The coach made the message clear to every team member – shape up or ship out.
- After he made a lot of really big mistakes his boss warned him that he’d better shape up or ship out.
- She sent a simple message stating that anyone who doesn’t shape up should ship out.
- It was a matter of shaping up or shipping out.
- A turning point was triggered in her life when she was told to shape up or ship out.
- The government told members of its own party to shape up or ship out.
- If the party doesn’t back off, its only other option is to shape up or ship out.
- The business sent out a stern warning to all of its franchises to either shape up or ship out.
- When she realized that he meant so much to her she also realized that she’d better shape up or ship out.
- The captain should have confronted him telling him to shape up or ship out.
English Idioms
Conclusion
“Shape up or ship out” is just one of the many idioms you’ll hear scattered throughout the English language today. The next time you’ll hear it at least you’ll know that the person is telling you that you need to behave better or leave. You can even start using this phrase to make your language more exciting now that you know its meaning.
Shawn Manaher is the founder and CEO of The Content Authority. He’s one part content manager, one part writing ninja organizer, and two parts leader of top content creators. You don’t even want to know what he calls pancakes.