call in (one's) marker
To ask or demand repayment from someone. What are we going to do if they call in their markers? We don't have the money to pay them back! Dad, these people are taking advantage of you, and if you don't call in your markers with them, you'll lose the house! What are we going to do if they call in their markers? We don't have the money to pay them back!
lay down the marker
To set an authoritative example or standard for others to follow. By intervening in this conflict, our country shall lay down the marker that terrorism cannot and will not go unpunished in any corner of the Earth. Her breakthrough research laid down the marker for geneticists for decades to come.
put down a marker
To publicly demonstrate to others what one is capable of or intends to do. The president was quick to put down a marker about his plans regarding a tax overhaul for middle-class workers. This opening match is a chance to put down a marker within the league.
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.
put down a marker
COMMON If you put down a marker, you do something that shows people what you are capable of, or what you intend to do in the future. Bates has certainly put down a marker of intent in his ambitions for the title. Note: Verbs such as set and lay can be used instead of put. St Mel's, winners of more titles than any other team, have set down a marker for those who might hope to beat them later in the season.
Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed. © HarperCollins Publishers 2012
marker
n. a personal promissory note; an IOU. Bart signed a marker for $3,000 and handed it to Sam.
McGraw-Hill's Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions Copyright © 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.