action stations

British  

plural noun

1. military the positions taken up by individuals in preparation for or during a battle

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interjection

1. military a command to take up such positions

2. informal a warning to get ready for something

Example Sentences

The first-stage alert lights began flashing—just an all-hands call to action stations, but I still expected the corridor to fill with hustling people.

From Slate • May 25, 2019

The fleet he visits will have just returned from action stations where it was poised for combat.

From Time Magazine Archive

Over the loudspeaker system brassed the marine bugler's warning, the boatswain's call: "All hands to action stations."

From Time Magazine Archive

The alarm was rung, and as the men rushed to action stations a signal was made to the Smack asking what was wrong.

From Sea-Hounds by Freeman, Lewis R.

Instantly her alarm signals, quietly given, brought all hands to action stations, some in deck-houses, others in hen-coops, but each with his finger on the trigger or his hand on a ready spare shell.

From Flag and Fleet How the British Navy Won the Freedom of the Seas by Wood, William Charles Henry