IdiomDaily Life
English
Englishat someone's beck and call
Meaning: Always ready to obey someone's orders.
Example: “He expects his assistant to be at his beck and call around the clock.”
Origin: A "beck" is a nod or gesture, related to "beckon." The paired phrase is found from the late 19th century, though "at someone's beck" is older.
Equivalents in other languages
French: Corvéable à merci Literally: Liable to forced labor at will
More English idioms
- hands down Easily; without question.
- like a bolt from the blue Completely unexpected, usually of bad news.
- the deck is stacked The situation is unfairly arranged so that someone will lose.
- after me, the deluge I don't care what happens after I am gone.
- lie through one's teeth To lie openly and shamelessly.
- slow on the uptake Slow to understand.
Explore another collection: Tongue Twisters
Tricky phrases to practice out loud, from languages around the world.
- Unique New York. Three words that jam the 'y/n/k' sequence together — repeat it and it collapses into 'you…
- Pad kid poured curd pulled cod. Alternating repetition — the consonants swap at the start of every other word, which is w…
- Red lorry, yellow lorry. The 'l/r' alternation drill — deceptively short, yet almost impossible to say fast withou…
Keep exploring