die Beine in die Hand nehmen
to leg it; to run off quickly
Origin
From the image of a fast runner pulling his legs up so high it looks as if he's tucking them under his arms. Attested since the early 19th c.
Building blocks
Words in this expression
Grammar that uses this word
- Verb 'haben' (to have), present: er/sie/es hat (he/she/it has)Verb 'haben' im Präsens: er/sie/es hat
- Plural with -e (der Tisch → die Tische)Plural mit -e
- zwischen (between - two-way preposition)zwischen (Wo? + Dativ / Wohin? + Akkusativ)
- Absolute accusative and free adjunctsAbsoluter Akkusativ und freie Angaben
- Definite article 'die' (the, feminine, nominative)Bestimmter Artikel 'die' (feminin, Nominativ)
- Possessive articles in the dativePossessivartikel im Dativ
Examples
Wenn du den noch willst, nimm die Beine in die !
If you still want to catch the bus, you'd better leg it!