Nautiterm: (Nautical Terms Explained) “Get cracking”

Nautiterm: (Nautical Terms Explained) “Get cracking”: Get Cracking, Hurry up; move with haste. Carrying the greatest amount of sail as possible, to progress as fast as the ship can, hence also the expressions 'crack on' and 'cracking on'. This term relates to the masts, the booms, wooden books and all cracking under the immense forces of the wind on the sheets.