1
general::
Phrase(s): 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.
McGrawhill's American Idioms And Phrasal Verbs
2
general::
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.
American Heritage Idioms