Get Real

According to “OED”  Oxford English Dictionary, get real is a combination of an idiom and slang which most of uses as a slang. So,  to get real  : to be realistic or serious; to face facts; to abandon a naive, insincere, or erroneous opinion. Now freq. in imper., used to suggest that an idea or statement is foolish, overly idealistic, or quite wrong. Normally, the connotation of this idiom is most likely depend on the situation, however , generally it has a positive tone.

 

second, from my researching to find out the history of this idiom, I found that in 1969 was the first using by  Current Slang (Univ. S. Dakota) .So, it could say get real has approximately 45 years old. Get real was initiated by academic people as I have found in different sites and books.

For example, I'm going to Las Vegas. I know I'll win a lot of money!" . 
When someone tells you to get real, they want you to get a reality check and to stop behaving as though you're living in a fantasy world. Could apply to pretty much anyone or anything (as in a company or organisation) that mentally is not living in reality.

Another example, Employee: I demand $75,000 a year, a company car, 50,000 shares of the company's stock, every benifit imaginable and a months vacation every year to start.
 Interviewer: Get real, this is a burger flipping job, not an executive job.






ALI