What does the phrase all hands on deck mean?
: of, relating to, or being a situation in which every available person is needed or called to assist an all-hands-on-deck effort “Overwhelmingly the response I heard is that we need an all-hands-on-deck approach to stopping the spread of COVID-19 in Wisconsin,” [Governor Tony] Evers said.—
Where did the term all hands on deck originate?
Origin of All Hands on Deck This expression has a naval origin. Hands is another word for sailors and deck is a part of the boat. In a storm or other emergency, the captain might yell all hands on deck. This is a command for all the sailors to come to the deck of the boat to help navigate the storm.
How do you use all hands on deck in a sentence?
Examples of ‘all hands on deck’ in a sentence all hands on deck
- It feels like we finally have all hands on deck for the first time.
- The same goes for ‘all hands on deck’.
- It was a low-budget, independent production, so it was all hands on deck.
- What is needed is an ‘all hands on deck’ approach.
Should all hands on deck?
If a situation requires all hands on deck, it needs everyone to work hard to achieve an aim or do a task.
What figure of speech is all hands on deck?
A classic example of synecdoche is the use of the term hands to mean “workers” (as in “all hands on deck”), or the noun sails to mean “ships.” Synecdoche is also sometimes used in the names of sports teams, e.g., the White Sox, the Blue Jackets.
What is the meaning of all hands?
(Entry 1 of 2) 1 : an entire ship’s company. 2 : everybody engaged in the same pursuit. all-hands. adjective.
What does all hands mean in military?
Definition of all-hands (Entry 2 of 2) : characterized by the participation or contributions of all individuals in a group an all-hands effort And this Friday, the agency’s deputy administrator …
What literary device is all hands on deck?
synecdoche
A classic example of synecdoche is the use of the term hands to mean “workers” (as in “all hands on deck”), or the noun sails to mean “ships.” Synecdoche is also sometimes used in the names of sports teams, e.g., the White Sox, the Blue Jackets.
What’s the meaning of bitter pill to swallow?
An unpleasant fact, disappointment, or humiliation that is difficult to endure. For example, Failing the bar exam was a bitter pill to swallow, but he plans to try again next year. [ Late 1500s]
Why do they say paint the town red?
The expression is American slang meaning to go on a reckless debauch, to be wildly extravagant. Originally, the metaphor applied to bonfires painting the sky or scenery red. An old Irish ballad contains the lines: The beacon hills were painted red/ With many a fire that night.