at (one's) beck and call
Completely compliant or obedient to another person; catering to one's every need. The phrase has a negative connotation. Do you really think I'll do anything you say? I'm not at your beck and call! A: "How can we get to the mall this weekend?" B: "Oh, my sister will take us—she's been at my beck and call ever since I caught her sneaking in past curfew!" It would be nice to get my own work done without being interrupted all day long, but it's like the boss thinks I'm at his beck and call!
be at (one's) beck and call
To be completely compliant or obedient to another person; to cater to one's every need. The phrase has a negative connotation. A: "How can we get to the mall this weekend?" B: "Oh, my sister will take us—she's been at my beck and call ever since I caught her sneaking in past curfew!" Do you really think I'll do anything you say? I'm not at your beck and call! It would be nice to get my own work done without being interrupted all day long, but it's like the boss thinks I'm at his beck and call!
beck and call
A phrase indicating one's compliance or obedience. Most often used in the phrase "at (someone's) beck and call." Do you really think I'll do anything you say? I'm not at your beck and call! A: "How can we get to the mall this weekend?" B: "Oh, my sister will take us—she's been at my beck and call ever since I caught her sneaking in past curfew!" It would be nice to get my own work done without being interrupted all day long, but it's like the boss thinks I'm at his beck and call!
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.
at someone's beck and call
ready to obey someone. What makes you think I wait around here at your beck and call? I have to leave for work, you know! It was a fine hotel. There were dozens of maids and waiters at our beck and call.
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
at someone's beck and call
Required to comply with someone's requests or commands, as in
The boss expects the entire staff to be at his beck and call. The noun
beck, now obsolete except in this idiom, meant "a gesture or signal of command, such as a nod or hand movement," whereas
call signifies "a vocal summons." Also see
dance attendance on.
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.
be at someone's beck and call
If someone is at another person's beck and call, they are always ready to do what that person wants them to do, even when it is not reasonable. Your child has to understand that you can't always be at his beck and call for every little thing. He had a host of servants at his beck and call. Note: `Beck' is an old word meaning a gesture, for example a nod or a movement of the hand or forefinger, which represents a command such as `Come here.'
Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed. © HarperCollins Publishers 2012
at someone's beck and call
always having to be ready to obey someone's orders immediately. Beck in the sense of ‘a significant gesture of command’ comes from the verb beck , a shortened form of beckon . It is now found mainly in this phrase.
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017
at somebody’s ˌbeck and ˈcall
always ready and required to do exactly what somebody asks: Working in a big store means being at the customers’ beck and call all day. Beck is a shortened form of the word ‘beckon’ (= give somebody a signal with your finger or hand, especially to tell them to come closer).
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017
at (someone's) beck and call
Ready to comply with any wish or command.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
at one's beck and call
Required to tend to someone’s wishes; totally under someone’s control. The obsolete noun beck, which survives only in this cliché, meant a mute signal or gesture of command, such as a nod of the head or a pointing of the finger; the verbal form, to beckon, still exists, as does call, for a vocal summons.
The Dictionary of Clichés by Christine Ammer Copyright © 2013 by Christine Ammer