beck and call
(Redirected from be at somebody's beck and call)
English
editAlternative forms
edit- beckon call (eggcorn misspelling)
Noun
edit- Summons and control, in a position of servitude or as an attendant.
- At his beck and call, he had a small fleet of waiters and servants.
- 1942 May-June, “Notes and News: L.N.E.R. Traffic Regulating Office”, in Railway Magazine, page 187:
- The Traffic Regulating Officer thus has at his beck and call the assistance which he requires in deciding the extent to which restrictions on the acceptance and despatch of traffic are necessary.
Usage notes
edit- Almost always found as a prepositional phrasing "at one's beck and call"
Translations
editsummons and control, in a position as an attendant or servant
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See also
editReferences
edit- “at someone’s beck and call”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.