call to order
To formally begin or open (something), as of a meeting, trial, convention, etc. A noun or pronoun can be used between "call" and "to." It is my pleasure to call to order our first meeting of the year! With a bang of his gavel, the judge called the proceedings to order. Come on, can you call everyone to order already? Some of us have stuff to do.
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.
call to order
Formally open a meeting; also, bid people to obey the rules. For example, The chairman used his gavel to call everyone to order, or The judge called the spectators to order and threatened to make them leave. [Early 1800s]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.