get your thumb out of your ass

[almostfreebird]

Hello there, here is my question.

quote: "I want to tell you the facts of life because you don't seem to understand them. The fact is, we may have to walk another twenty or thirty miles. The fact is, if you get infected from those scrapes, you could get blood poisoning and die. The fact is, you've got to get your thumb out of your ass and start helping me." (Stephen King)

Does that mean more or less "you've got to stop being a pain in the ass"?

Thank you very much.

 

[nzfauna]

No, it means "you've got to stop doing nothing/wasting time/procrastinating".

"Fingers" is another variant for this phrase.

 

[Kutchiloo]

no, it means you've got to stop sitting around, spring into action

 

[almostfreebird]

I see, thank you very much.

 

[emanko]

Hello
Is "get your thumb out of your mouth" used to mean the same thing?
I heard it in a movie. It was said to someone who is afraid of doing something.
Is it used often?
Thank you

 

[Barque]

It might be a reference to some children's habit of sucking their thumb. Don't be a baby. Get up and do it.

I haven't heard it before however.

 

[emanko]

Thank you.

 

[velisarius]

I heard it in a movie[...] someone who is afraid of doing something

That's not very informative. Was this "someone" a child? If it's a movie for family audiences, I might hear it as a euphemism for the more familiar "thumb out of your arse" phrase.