on deck

on deck idiom
  1. Available, ready for action, as in We had ten kids on deck to clean up after the dance. [Slang; second half of 1800s]
  2. In baseball, scheduled to bat next, waiting near home plate to bat, as in Joe was on deck next. [1860s] Both usages allude to crew members being on the deck of a ship, in readiness to perform their duties.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

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