"All Hands on Deck" Idiom Meaning, Origin & History | Superduper English Idioms
Channel: Superduper English Idioms
Date: 04/10/2020

0:00 - How to Say, “All hands on deck.”
0:16 - Examples of “All hands on deck.”
1:03 - Meaning of “All hands on deck.”
2:21 - Origin of “All hands on deck.”
3:58 - More Examples of “All hands on deck.”
4:48 - Conclusion

“All hands on deck.”

You’ve most likely heard someone say, “All hands on deck!” meaning that everyone should come out and work together.

“The morning huddle is over, all hands on deck!” the manager of a supermarket might say just before the store opens.

Perhaps you’re a leader at a local charity, “We really need all hands on deck for tomorrow’s event, as it’s shaping up to be a busy one!”

“It’s so busy that even though we have all hands on deck, customers are still waiting!” you might say to your assistant manager during a Christmas sale at your store.

As you can see, the idiom, “all hands on deck,” is an order, command for everyone to get working, contributing; or it is an expression stating that every person is active.

The word “hands” in “all hands on deck”, refers not to actual hands, but to people. A person who engages in manual labour is often called a “hand”, and for obvious reasons.

It is hands that differentiate humans from most other animals on Earth, so it’s no wonder that “hand” has come to have a wide variety of meanings in all languages.

You can give a hand to someone, give your hand in marriage, have a hand in a project, give a singer a big hand, something could be in your hands, your writing is in your “hand”, and more!

It’s quite obvious that the idiom, “all hands on deck,” is a naval expression and originates with the business of ships and sailing.

During the days of ships with sails, a captain might yell out, “All hands on deck!” if there was a storm or other emergency. All the crew had to come out to the uppermost platform or deck to assist.

Nowadays, “all hands on deck”, is commonly used in situations where a team is present; such as in sports, business or other type of organization.

In a business, charity or other such organization, team members are normally “on deck” or working at any given time, so a leader might use “all hands on deck” to redirect their focus to a specific task that requires immediate attention.

“Many hands make light work,” goes the old proverb, and so it’s no wonder that most things are accomplished with the contribution of many people working together, a team effort.

“We’re losing, so we’re gonna need all hands on deck in the next quarter,” a basketball coach might tell his team, emphasizing extra effort from each player.

Maybe you’re a project manager at a software firm, “Listen up, team! It’s all hands on deck for the coming week, as our new product launches this Friday!”

“We have all hands on deck for the first time,” the president of a country might say after every political party agrees to work together in the fight against a contagion.

Accordingly, the next time you want to tell all your team members to come out and contribute together towards one goal, just yell, “All hands on deck!”

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