all hands on deck

all hands on deck

1. (nautical) An order, on board ship, for all seamen of all watches to muster on deck immediately; normally shortened to "All hands"
   • 1918, Edgar Rice Burroughs, The Land That Time Forgot Chapter V

     As soon as the boche and his guard were aboard again, I called all hands on deck, including von Schoenvorts, and there I explained to them that the time had come for us to enter into some sort of an agreement among ourselves that would relieve us of the annoyance and embarrassment of being divided into two antagonistic parts--prisoners and captors.

• clear the decks