Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. to start a sexual relationship.

1978		L. Kramer Faggots 23: It’s not possible for two men to get it together.
1981		J. Sullivan ‘Go West Young Man’ Only Fools and Horses [TV script] Monica and I were having difficulties getting it all together on a one-to-one basis.
2005		Jade LB Keisha the Sket (2021) 48: We had onli gt it 2gva just b4 summa.

2. to make a decision, to take action.

1970		G. Cain Blueschild Baby 83: Brother we got it together. Every day we drill and help each other.
1972		D. Claerbaut Black Jargon in White America 65: get it together v. 1. to organize or prepare something.
1985		T. Wolff ‘Leviathan’ in Back in the World 185: ‘Bliss’s little girl came down with tonsillitis last month and Bliss never got it together to go see her in the hospital.’.

3. to pull oneself together, to stop vacillating etc.

1970		Meyer & Ebert Beyond Valley of the Dolls [film script] I went back in the stacks to do some research in the rare book collection. And who do I run into but my score? Cool, man. That’s getting it together.
1971		Current Sl. VI 5: Get it together, v. To resolve one’s identity.
1975		‘P.B. Yuill’ Hazell and the Three-card Trick (1977) 187: It was just a place to stay for a while till I got it all together again.
1993		I. Welsh Trainspotting 291: Wir aw gaunnae be wiped oot if we dinnae git it thegether.
1996		P. Howard The Joy (2015) [ebook] After about half an hour or so, I get it together and manage to get up again.
2000		Indep. Mag. 26 Feb. 15: Even when he was pissed he’d get it together for a gig.
2018		J.-P. Jordan Joys of War 120: I did manage to see the kids when I was able to get it together enough to see them .

see under act n.

1. to dress oneself well.

1908

D.G. Phillips Old Wives for New 210: ‘Don’t she know how to get herself together?’ demanded he of Murdock. And Jesse certainly was looking well, with her black-and-white check traveling dress that brought out every good point of her full figure.

2. to sort out one’s emotions.

1945		W.R. Burnett Tomorrow’s Another Day 81: The Greek sat for a long time staring—so long that Benny began to grow more and more uneasy. [...] he wasn’t at all prepared for a reaction like this. The Greek just couldn’t seem to get himself together.
1960		C. Cooper Jr Syndicate (1998) 43: I bet the rub-out guy was so surprised that he couldn’t get himself together.
1972		D. Claerbaut Black Jargon in White America 66: get yourself togetherinterj. 1. to regain control of yourself; return to proper functioning.
1972		T. Stoppard Jumpers Act I: He’s only missing in action, shot down behind the thin yellow lines of advancing Rad-Libs and getting himself together to go BOO!
2005		W.D. Myers Autobiography of My Dead Brother 143: [H]e was crying. [...] I waited for C.J. to get himself together. It took a while.

3. to mend one’s ways; to pull oneself together.

1968		N. Heard Howard Street 78: When you gon’ get youself together, Lonnie?
1972		(con. 1950s) D. Goines Whoreson 87: That way you can get yourself together, baby, ’cause I really dig you.
1980		E. Folb Runnin’ Down Some Lines 175: Get yourself together, girl!
1993		Tarantino & Avery Pulp Fiction [film script] 17: Git yourself together.
2005		S.D. Manning From the Palace to the Prison 81: Get sober and get yourself together. Reach inside of you and become a better man or woman.

4. to amass a sum of money.

1960		C. Cooper Jr Scene (1996) 177: ’You told him you’d have the money?’ ‘I told him I’d have to get myself together.’.
2002		W.D. Myers Handbook for Boys 24: [A]s soon as I got myself together, I would catch up on the rent.

see under eyes n.¹

see under game n.

see under head n.

1. (US campus) to have sexual relations, with or without intercourse.

1932		W.R. Burnett Giant Swing 36: Never made one pass at him, or hinted that things would be pretty interesting if they got together.
1939		P. Hamilton To The Public Danger 60: cole: Well, Nancy — when do you and I get together? nan: How do you mean — get together? cole: Oh — just get together. nan: Well — not to-night, I’m afraid. We got too many mutual friends, ain’t we? cole: Yes. Let’s take ’em out and drop ’em.
1947		E. Condon We Called It Music 114: Barbara and I managed to get together.
1956		J. Curtis Look Long Upon a Monkey 96: Very likely she was thinking about him, dreaming of him, wondering what it would be like if they got together.
1978		R. Charles Brother Ray 276: ‘If you’re carrying something special in your womb, I can dig it. But listen here: That’s no reason why we can’t get together’.
1984		W.D. Myers Outside Shot 50: ‘Neither one of us has anybody heavy, so you know, maybe we can get together’.
1999		Indep. on Sun. Real Life 11 July 2: When the lights go down and everyone’s meant to be asleep it’s far from unknown for couples to, erm, get together.
2002		R. Gordon Can’t Be Satisfied 155: [T]here was a young and beautiful waitress at Pepper's named Lois Anderson, and Muddy got together with her.
2024		R. Sullivan Devil’s Best Trick 33: Tate was not quite sixteen and Karen was closing in on her twenty-first birthday when they first got together.

2. (US black) to improve one’s appearance.

1971

H.E. Roberts Third Ear n.p.: get together v. [...] 3. to enhance one’s appearance; e.g. You’d better get that hair together!

(US black) to survive.

1992

J. Mowry Way Past Cool 273: It for sure gonna make me look like a goddam fool if you go an pass out or somethin [...] Can you hang together another hour, man?

1. to maintain a satisfactory lifestyle.

1980

E. Folb Runnin’ Down Some Lines 136: You cain’t keep it together if you bread too short.

2. (also hold it together) to keep emotional control.

1988		W.D. Myers Fallen Angels 282: Lobel was just about holding it together. We had to get him back [...] [l]et him get the knots out of his nerves .
1989		(con. 1982–6) T. Williams Cocaine Kids (1990) 59: I have a problem myself keeping everything together.
2000		N. Griffiths Grits 45: Am tryin, tho, am rirly tryin tuh keep it tuhgether.
2012		K. Powers Yellow Birds 147: [O]ne of the cops looked at me with a pitiable concern and said, ‘Try to keep it together, buddy. You’ll be back in the swing in no time’.
2019		J.A. Struthers Appel 137: I had to control my urge to freak out, but I literally saw the light at the end of the tunnel and managed to hold it together .
2020		A. Trebek The Answer Is 67: Once, I was doing a television newscast and a guy mooned me on the other side of the glass. I just barely kept it together.

emotionally stable, calmed down.

1969

D. Di Prima Memoirs of a Beatnik 88: Two days and three suicide attempts later, somewhat put together, [. . .] Big Jack got on a bus and went back to his people in Worcester, Massachusetts.

(US black/campus) an expression of approval.

1968		‘Hy Lit’ Hy Lit’s Unbelievable Dict. of Hip Words 40: that’s together – Approval of something which is hip and which you really dig.
1973		Eble Campus Sl. Nov. 4: that’s together! – an expression of approval (mostly used by blacks).