all hands on deck

[ awl handz on dek ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

interjection

(used as an order to all members of a ship’s crew to report to the deck at once, as in an emergency):
We were roused from our bunks by shouts of “All hands on deck!”

(used as a call for the immediate assistance of everyone present or available):
We only have two days till the deadline, people, so—all hands on deck!
immediate and concerted effort, or a situation that calls for it:
We can nip crime in the bud if we go at it with all hands on deck.
If the server goes down, it’s going to be all hands on deck.

First recorded in 1680–90

For starters, from a purely practical, all-hands-on-deck position, I say if you can do the job, you should keep the job.

This is a public health crisis that you might think would give us an all-hands-on-deck attitude.

It will require an all-hands-on-deck effort combining hard work, political savvy, and even a dollop of good luck.

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