Call
(A ). A “divine” summons or invitation, as “a call to
the ministry.”
A call before the curtain.
An applause inviting a favourite actor to appear before the
curtain, and make his bow to the audience.
A Gospel call.
The invitation of the Gospel to men to believe in Jesus to the
saving of their souls. A morning call. A short morning visit.
A call on shareholders.
A demand to pay up a part of the money due for shares allotted in a
company. Payable at call. To be paid on demand.
Call Bird
(A). A bird trained as a decoy.
Call-boy
(The). A boy employed in theatres to “call” or summon
actors, when it is time for them to make their appearance on the stage.
Call of Abraham
The invitation or command of God to Abraham, to leave his
idolatrous country, under the promise of being made a great nation.
Call of God
An invitation, exhortation, or warning, by the dispensations of
Providence (Isa. xxii. 12); divine influence on the mind to do or avoid
something (Heb. iii. 1).
Call of the House
An imperative summons sent to every Member of Parliament to
attend. This is done when the sense of the whole House is required. At
the muster the names of the members are called over, and
defaulters reported.
Call to Arms
(To). To summon to prepare for battle. “Ad arma vocare. ”
Call to the Bar
The admission of a law student to the privileges of a
barrister. The names of those qualified are called over. (See
page 94, col. 1, Bar.)
Call to the Pastorate
An invitation to a minister by the members of a Presbyterian or
Nonconformist church to preside over a certain congregation.
Call to the Unconverted
An invitation accompanied with promises and threats, to induce
the unconverted to receive the gospel. Richard Baxter wrote a book so
entitled.
Call
(To). I call God to witness. I solemnly declare that
what I state is true.
To call.
To invite: as, the trumpet calls.
If honour calls, where'er she points the way,
The sons of honour follow and obey.
Churchill: The Farewell, stanza 7.
To call
[a man] out. To challenge him; to appeal to a man's honour
to come forth and fight a duel. To call in question. To doubt
the truth of a statement; to challenge the truth of a statement. “In
dubium vocare. ”
To call over the coals.
(See
Coals.)
To call to account.
To demand an explanation; to reprove.
Source: Dictionary of Phrase and Fable, E. Cobham Brewer, 1894 More on Call from Infoplease:
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