'All hands on deck!' is an example of?

• A. Synecdoche
• B. Metonymy
• C. Hyperbole
• D. Irony

Answer: (A)

This is about recognizing synecdoche, a figure of speech that uses a part to stand for the whole. In the phrase all hands on deck, the word hands refers to the sailors or crew members who operate the ship. Hands are a part of those workers, but they stand for the entire group of people needed on the deck. So the part (hands) represents the whole (the crew), which is exactly what synecdoche does.

It isn’t about exaggeration or saying the opposite of what’s meant, so it’s not hyperbole or irony. Although you could argue that this use also fits a broader sense of metonymy (using something associated with a group to refer to the group), the clearest and most precise label for this part-for-the-whole relationship is synecdoche.