1
general::
Phrase(s): hit the deck
1. Fig. to fall down; to drop down to the floor or ground. • Hit the deck. Don’t let them see you. • I hit the deck the minute I heard the shots. 2. Fig. to get out of bed. • Come on, hit the deck! It’s morning. • Hit the deck! Time to rise and shine!
McGrawhill's American Idioms And Phrasal Verbs
2
general::
Also, hit the dirt. Fall to the ground, usually for protection. For example, As the planes approached, we hit the deck, or We heard shooting and hit the dirt. In the early 1900s the first expression was nautical slang for "jump out of bed," or "wake up," and somewhat later, "get going." The current meaning dates from the 1920s.
American Heritage Idioms