Meaning
Hurry up or get moving. Very informal. The literal farming reference makes the phrase earthy but not normally obscene. Regional use: New Zealand; also heard in rural Australian English.
Origin
In sheep farming, dags are locks of wool around a sheep's hindquarters that have become matted with dung. The command humorously imagines a sheep moving fast enough for its dried dags to rattle. This concrete pastoral explanation accounts for the wording, although a precise first speaker or date has not been established.
Research Sources
References used to check this entry’s meaning, history, or documented forms.
Variants
- Better rattle your dags
- Get your dags rattling
- Rattle the dags
Usage Examples
- Rattle your dags or the ferry will leave without us.
- The coach told the reserves to get their dags rattling and warm up.