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- get off the ground
get off the ground
get something off the ground
1. Lit. to get something into the air. I'll announce the weather to the passengers as soon as we get the plane off the ground. I hope they get this plane off the ground soon.
2. Fig. to get something started. (Alludes to an airplane beginning a flight.) When we get this event off the ground we can relax. It is my job to get the celebration plans off the ground.
get something off the ground
to start Casey and his friend tried to start a band, but it never got off the ground. A lot more money will be needed to get this project off the ground.
Etymology: based on the idea of an aircraft getting off the ground (starting a flight)
get (something) off the ground
if a plan or activity gets off the ground or you get it off the ground, it starts or succeeds The scheme should get off the ground towards the end of this year. A lot more public spending will be required to get this project off the ground.
get off the ground
Make a start, get underway, as in Because of legal difficulties, the construction project never got off the ground. This expression, alluding to flight, dates from the mid-1900s. The similar-sounding get off to a flying start, meaning "make a successful start," alludes not to flight but to a quick start in a race, a usage from the late 1800s. For example, He's off to a flying start with his dissertation.