get one's ass in gear
To exert effective effort; to get going; to get moving; to start producing.
He had been sitting there for two hours until the boss showed up and told him to get his ass in gear.
ADJ
bottom, top
The car struggled up the steep hill because it was stuck in bottom gear.
high, low | first, second, etc. | reverse
VERB + GEAR
engage, select
When driving uphill, you need to select a lower gear for better engine power.
change, change into, move into, put/slam/slip sth into, shift (into), switch
When the light turned green, he shifted into high gear and accelerated down the highway.
move up, step up
When the boss asked for faster results, the whole team moved up a gear and finished the project early.
crash, grind
The old car kept grinding its gears whenever she tried to shift into reverse.
GEAR + NOUN
change
The driver executed a perfect gear change while accelerating up the steep mountain road.
lever, stick (also gearstick)
PREP
in (a/the) ~
When the car started rolling backward, I quickly shifted into gear to stop it.
out of ~
When you park on a hill, always make sure the car is out of gear and the brake is on.
ADJ
camping, climbing, fishing, running, sports, swimming, walking
breathing
The scuba diver checked her breathing gear before descending into the deep water.
landing, winding
The old clock's winding gear needed replacement after it stopped working.
combat, riot | outdoor
designer
She bought some designer gear for the music festival last weekend.
VERB + GEAR
be dressed in, have on, wear
He was dressed in protective gear before entering the construction site.
put on, take off
PREP
in ~
The firefighters arrived at the scene dressed in protective gear.
ADV
completely, entirely, exclusively, totally
The new training program was totally geared toward helping employees develop leadership skills.
primarily
specifically
The new curriculum is geared specifically toward helping students with learning difficulties.
clearly