“Ten-hut!” or “A-ten-hut!” (“attention” command)

“Ten-hut!” is what a military drill sergeant might say, meaning “Attention!” “‘Ten-Hut,’ which is the new way of saying ‘Attention’” was printed in the Boston (MA) Sunday Globe on November 22, 1942.
 
“A-ten-hut!” is another way of saying “Attention!” “A-ten-hut!” was printed in The Herald-News (Passaic, NJ) and other United Press newspapers on January 31, 1951.
   
   
22 November 1942, Boston (MA) Sunday Globe, “‘This Is The Army’ ‘Ladies’ Top Kick Tells All” by Marjory Adams, pg. 18, col. 4:
They forego their womanly ways while being roared at by the “top kick,” Sergt. Anderson. They respond with manly vigor when “Ten-Hut,” which is the new way of saying “Attention” and “Forward Harch,” which is the new way of saying “Forward March,” is bawled at them. It appears that an “h” can be barked out with more emphasis than an “s” or an “m.”
           
Newspapers.com
13 December 1942, The Arizona Daily Star (Tucson, AZ), “Tucson Waac Finds Minute to Write in Holiday Rush” by Emily Brown, pg. 2, col. 7:
For want of any appropriate cognomen, our officers resort to the ambiguous “detail” as a prelude to “attention” (“ten-hut” as they say in the WAAC).
 
Newspapers.com
10 March 1943, St. Petersburg (FL) Times, 809 Training Group: 609th Holds Coveted ‘E’” by Staff Sgt. Chick Rosnick, pg. 8, col. 6:
For the third time, Skipper shouted “Group,” and as a man the entire group snapped to a smart “Parade Rest.” “Ten-Hut” barked Skipper and the men came to a position of “Attention.”
 
15 September 1943, The Daily Herald (Gulfport and Biloxi, MS), “No Passes or Furloughs for New Canine Commandos,”  pg. 5, col. 5:
They (dogs—ed.) are taught to respond to “at ease,” or “ten hut.”
     
Newspapers.com
31 January 1951, The Herald-News (Passaic, NJ), “Ex-Sergeant Judge Orders Vet a Break,” pg. 20, col. 4:
CHICAGO (UP)—The man appearing before Police Judge Matthew Hartigan on a minor charge said his name was Gerald Garrity and that he was due at a hospital to have shrapnel removed from his face.
 
“You served in which war??” Hartigan asked.
 
Garrity said he was a private in World War II.
 
“A-ten-hut!” barked the judge.
 
Garrity snapped to attention.
 
Newspapers.com
25 October 1961, Winona (MN) Daily News, “Was This Goodbye for Year?” by Harold Knoll, pg. 3, col. 5:
“Ten hut!” a sergeant cried. “Forward march!”
   
Newspapers.com
11 May 1965, Sun-Democrat (Paducah, KY), pg. 2, col. 4:
‘Ten-HUT,&%*(* Sergeants,’
Army Says Watch Language
By WILBUR MARTIN
 
OCLC WorldCat record   
Ten-hut : the paper doll army 411
Author: Jetta Vegas
Publisher: Seattle, WA : Radical Uprise, 2013.
Edition/Format:   Print book : Poetry : Biography : English
Summary:
This small zine about letter writing details the mission of “The Paper Doll Army,” which is to support the United States Postal Service and to promote offline communication. The “Army” continues its military metaphor with writing-related “missions” and “ration packs” for its members. The covers are printed on raggedy-edge paper.
 
Straight Dope Message Board
Ten-hut??
Dog80
04-06-2013, 12:37 PM
When I was in the army, they explained us that close order drill commands consist of two parts.
 
The first part is the preparatory part. This lets the soldiers know that a command will be issued and also which drill they are going to execute. Then there’s a very short pause and then comes the executionary part which signals the execution of the drill. This part has to be spoken sharply because that helps the soldiers execute the drill simultaneously.
 
The word “attention” is awkward cannot be cleanly split into these two parts. Therefore it becomes teeeeen-HUT!
     
Twitter
DanAuito
@DanAuito
Replying to @DanAuito and @osto_space
Aten Hutt!
On Your Marks! ⚔️😎⚔️
Ten-hut is an American military term that means, “Come to attention!” It was shortened from “a-ten-hut” and came into use because it is easier to say at full shout than “attention.”  Sounds like UHHH, Tennn, HUTTTT! HOORAH.
3:07 PM · Jun 22, 2019·Twitter Web Client
 
Twitter
SGT SLAUGHTER
@_SgtSlaughter
A-TEN-HUT Maggots!  Come see me
@NY_Comic_Con
Booth# 2581.  Get your picture taken with me and post it on Twitter and I will follow you.
9:56 AM · Oct 9, 2015·Twitter for Android