Where British Phrases Came From
Monday, Aug 24, 2020, 10:22 am
#14 Pull Your Finger Out
We all know what this means now, but its origins are slightly different. It comes from using a cannon and when they were taking their time the powder would be held in by a wooden plug, but in battle they had to be faster, so somebody would stick their finger in instead. They were shouted at to pull their finger out so it could then be fired.