Sentence:  I told the staff...the day before the hurricane struck that I expected them to cut every piece of red tape, do everything they could, that it was <WSD>balls to the wall</WSD>, that I didn't want to hear anybody say that we couldn't do anything—to do everything they humanly could to respond. 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  (With) maximum effort or commitment. (since the 1960s)