"Stand-to" at dusk for about an hour, work all night, "stand-to" for an hour before dawn. That's the general programme.1915, Robert Graves, Goodbye to All That, (1929), Penguin Modern Classics 1960, p. 86
stand to
verb
Etymology Shortened form of "stand to arms"
1
Alternative Alternative form of stand-to.
2
To tolerate (something); to be able to withstand (something) stressful that will be ultimately beneficial.
You could stand to lose a couple pounds.
3
To be on the verge of (something) happening, if certain conditions are met.
He stands to inherit ten million dollars if that happens!
4
Archaic To live up to; to insist upon or maintain.
I do not, for that cause, or any other cause, propose to destroy, or alter, or disregard the constitution. I stand to it, fairly, fully, and firmly. Abraham Lincoln
I passed the word along the line for the company to stand-to arms. The N.C.O's whispered hoarsely into the dug-outs: ‘Stand-to, stand-to,’ and out the men tumbled with their rifles in their hands.1929 November, Robert Graves, chapter XII, in Good-bye to All That: An Autobiography, London: Jonathan Cape […], →OCLC, page 141: