Abstract: A hand-operated lawn aerator which can be used to extract plugs of thatch and soil from a lawn. The device includes a long hollow tubular member having a cutting head at one end. The hollow tubular cutting head is driven into the ground with an operator's foot by placing weight on a foot support attached to the cutting head. A plunger disc attached to a rod within the tubular head is used to eject the thatch or core of earth from the interior of the cutting head when the cutting head is lifted from the ground. A first supple washer is provided on the plunger disc to move with the plunger disc to wipe against the inside of the hollow cutting head to wipe the inside surface clean. A second supple washer is fixedly positioned inside the tubular body and is positioned to seal the interior of the tubular body from mud and moisture when the cutting tool is used to cut a plug of soil.