Shit or get off the pot

"Shit or get off the pot" is a common English language colloquial expression, used to imply a person should follow up their stated intentions, with action. It is also used to urge someone to complete a task with a greater degree of efficiency or timeliness than is observed at the time the expression is used. Implicit in the expression is that the person, by failing to act, is preventing others from acting.

Derivation

It may derive from the time before indoor plumbing when a chamber pot was used for defecation. The expression, in this way, is essentially instruction for someone to stop being indecisive or procrastinating, and act. Stuart Flexner, author of "I Hear America Talking", states that it is a vulgar rephrasing of the old New England expression "Fish or cut bait".

Famous Uses

• Richard Nixon reportedly used the phrase while berating Dwight Eisenhower to put Nixon on his presidential ticket.^{[citation needed]}

Uses in popular culture

• In the series Mama's Family, Thelma Harper uses the phrase frequently, alternating the first word (for example, telling Eunice to "Sing or get off the pot" at Vint and Naomi's wedding).
• In the 1994 film Clerks, Randal uses the phrase to tell his friend Dante to make a decision regarding his present situation.
• In the 1999 film "Detroit Rock City" a scalper uses the phrase to tell Hawk to earn the money he needs to buy a ticket from him.
• In the 1999 film The Bachelor, Jimmie uses the phrase when asking Anne to marry him.
• In the episode Local Ad of the US TV series The Office, Meredith uses the phrase "piss or get off the pot" to tell Jim to hurry up.
• In the episode Drumroll, Please of US sitcom How I Met Your Mother Barney uses the phrase to force Ted to stop procrastinating and go after a girl he met at the previous nights wedding.
• In 2009, Michael Katsidis used this phrase directed towards Juan Manuel Marquez regarding his decision to either vacate or defend his world title at lightweight.
• In 2010, Nicki Minaj raps "if you ain't shitting, then get off the pot" in her and Eminem's diss on Lil' Kim called "Roman's Revenge."