get in the boat and row

• get in the boat and start rowing

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get in the boat and row (third-person singular simple present gets in the boat and row, present participle getting in the boat and row, simple past got in the boat and row, past participle (UK) got in the boat and row or (US) gotten in the boat and row)

1. (idiomatic) To make a substantial effort, especially in cooperation with others in a group; to perform one's share of work; to show initiative.
   • 1988 September 9, John Rockwell, “City Opera Picks Successor to Sills”, in New York Times, retrieved 17 March 2018:

     Mr. Keene himself only found out he was the committee's choice last Friday. . . . "I have to spend the next six months finding out what's going on," he said. "I'm just going to get in the boat and row."

   • 2017 June 1, Knute Berger, Seattle's man in middle of Watergate scandal weighs in on Trump's, crosscut.com (retrieved 17 March 2018):

     He encourages people not just to complain, but get into public service, or be involved. “Get in the boat and row,” is his advice.

   • 2017 September 15, April Nowicki, Street Culture: Blind References Help Weed Out Drama at Zaius, Street Fight Magazine (retrieved 17 March 2018):

     Whether they’re an individual employee, a team lead, a manager, or someone from the overall executive team, everyone has to get in the boat and row.

• in the same boat
• pull one's weight