wake-up call

1. A phone call that one schedules to be placed to one's hotel room in order to be woken up at a certain time. I set an alarm and scheduled a wake-up call so there's no way I oversleep for the first conference session tomorrow.

2. An event that triggers a sense of urgency or the motivation to make a change. Harold's sudden chest pain was the wake-up call he needed to finally see his doctor. That terrible car accident was just the wake-up call I needed to quit my boring office job and start acting again.

See also: call

Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

wake-up call

A portentous event, report, or situation that brings an issue to immediate attention. For example, The rise in unemployment has given a wake-up call to state governments, or The success of the online subscription is a wake-up call to publishers. This metaphoric term originated in the second half of the 1900s for a telephone call arranged in advance to awaken a sleeper, especially in a hotel. Its figurative use dates from about 1990.

See also: call

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.

a wake-up call

COMMON A wake-up call is something which shocks people, making them understand how serious a problem is and causing them to take action in order to solve that problem. These extreme weather patterns should act as a wake-up call to our complacent leaders. Climate change is happening and we need to act now. The report is intended as a wake-up call for governments around the world to take action to improve healthcare resources for young people. Note: If you have a wake-up call, you arrange for someone to telephone you at a certain time in the morning so that you are sure to wake up at that time.

See also: call

Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed.

a ˈwake-up call

an event that makes people realize that they must take action in a dangerous situation: The recent storms and floods have been a wake-up call for many people about the reality of climate change.

See also: call

Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary

wake-up call

Also, wake-up time. An event, report, or situation that brings an issue to immediate attention. The term originated in the mid-1900s for a phone call arranged to awaken a sleeper at a given time, usually in a hotel. It began to be used figuratively in the late twentieth century. A New York Times headline over Joe Nocera’s article about a bank regulator interview read, “Wake-up Time for a Dream” (meaning home ownership; June 11, 2010). Also, Gregg Hurwitz used it in They’re Watching (2010), “But either the vows mean something or they don’t. This is a wake-up call, Patrick, for both of us.”

See also: call

The Dictionary of Clichés by Christine Ammer

See also:

a wake-up call
Can I have (one) call you?
Could I have call you?
marker
call in (one's) marker
have the wrong number
on call
call up
call about
call about (something)

References in periodicals archive

Wake-up call: B&B is pounds 72pp per night when two share.

Wish you were.. HERE?

Two things are clear from this "wake-up call": every IT operation needs to have data protection and business continuance plans and the people and equipment to properly execute them; and the use of tape technologies continues to be an essential, cost-effective component of these plans.

Tape backup: the cornerstone of data protection

CNN reported that, in an apologetic letter to the judge prior to sentencing, Lewis called the incident a wake-up call I will never forget."

CEOs anonymous: Hardly acknowledged, rarely confronted, alcoholism is a stealthy liability that pervades corporate America and puts some of its brightest leaders at risk. (Cover Story)

This unfortunate wake-up call has been placed before, by the Wall Street mad bomber of the 50s, student radicals in the 60s and the national zealots of the last two decades.

Safety and security challenges for the Nineties

Kilkenny had to dig deep to overcome Waterford and Buckley reckons the drawn game was a real wake-up call for the Cats.

WE'VE YOUNG BUCKS AND OLD HEADS

WAKE-UP CALL Double rooms B&B from PS80 per night.

HOTEL of the week

The Spain striker said: "You have to have respect for the opponent and that was a good wake-up call for us."

WE'LL CRO FOR A SHOCK

The Commission of Health Improvement today said this was a "wake-up call for the NHS" and described the catalogue of mistakes as "avoidable".

Warning over cancer gaffes

At the top levels of competition, nothing is simple, not even the morning wake-up call for engines.

Learning curve

The rate at which voters were last night signing campaigning Labour MP Tom Watson's online petition should serve as a wake-up call for complacent Cameron.

Cam's bad judgment; VOICE OF THE

The transportation chief pointed out that the incident served as a "wake-up call" to revisit the agency's policies and procedures in operating the LRT-2.

Tugade vows to go after those responsible for collision of LRT2 coaches

"With Bashir's exit, all despots must be quaking in their boots." This, he adds, is a wake-up call for Kenya and others: "Kenya has a rapidly growing youthful population, well-educated, but faced with high unemployment levels.

THE CUTTING EDGE

Seeing the impact of your salary on your start-up's net income will hurt, but it's a good wake-up call for you to start working to drive the gross margin up.

Most frequently asked financial questions from start-ups

The blog from Tristan is a real wake-up call for the city to get its act together if we want to meet these ambitions.

'Ambition is there but where's the strategy?'

Unsurprisingly, David Ben-Gurion, Israel's first prime minister, was the first to experience a prime ministerial wake-up call, which came before he was even officially prime minister.

American Politicians Talk About '3 a.m. Phone Calls,' but Israeli Leaders Actually Receive Them

词组	wake-up call
释义	wake-up call wake-up call 1. A phone call that one schedules to be placed to one's hotel room in order to be woken up at a certain time. I set an alarm and scheduled a wake-up call so there's no way I oversleep for the first conference session tomorrow. 2. An event that triggers a sense of urgency or the motivation to make a change. Harold's sudden chest pain was the wake-up call he needed to finally see his doctor. That terrible car accident was just the wake-up call I needed to quit my boring office job and start acting again. See also: call Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. wake-up call A portentous event, report, or situation that brings an issue to immediate attention. For example, The rise in unemployment has given a wake-up call to state governments, or The success of the online subscription is a wake-up call to publishers. This metaphoric term originated in the second half of the 1900s for a telephone call arranged in advance to awaken a sleeper, especially in a hotel. Its figurative use dates from about 1990. See also: call The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. a wake-up call COMMON A wake-up call is something which shocks people, making them understand how serious a problem is and causing them to take action in order to solve that problem. These extreme weather patterns should act as a wake-up call to our complacent leaders. Climate change is happening and we need to act now. The report is intended as a wake-up call for governments around the world to take action to improve healthcare resources for young people. Note: If you have a wake-up call, you arrange for someone to telephone you at a certain time in the morning so that you are sure to wake up at that time. See also: call Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed. a ˈwake-up call an event that makes people realize that they must take action in a dangerous situation: The recent storms and floods have been a wake-up call for many people about the reality of climate change. See also: call Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary wake-up call Also, wake-up time. An event, report, or situation that brings an issue to immediate attention. The term originated in the mid-1900s for a phone call arranged to awaken a sleeper at a given time, usually in a hotel. It began to be used figuratively in the late twentieth century. A New York Times headline over Joe Nocera’s article about a bank regulator interview read, “Wake-up Time for a Dream” (meaning home ownership; June 11, 2010). Also, Gregg Hurwitz used it in They’re Watching (2010), “But either the vows mean something or they don’t. This is a wake-up call, Patrick, for both of us.” See also: call The Dictionary of Clichés by Christine Ammer See also: a wake-up call Can I have (one) call you? Could I have call you? marker call in (one's) marker have the wrong number on call call up call about call about (something) References in periodicals archive Wake-up call: B&B is pounds 72pp per night when two share. Wish you were.. HERE? Two things are clear from this "wake-up call": every IT operation needs to have data protection and business continuance plans and the people and equipment to properly execute them; and the use of tape technologies continues to be an essential, cost-effective component of these plans. Tape backup: the cornerstone of data protection CNN reported that, in an apologetic letter to the judge prior to sentencing, Lewis called the incident a wake-up call I will never forget." CEOs anonymous: Hardly acknowledged, rarely confronted, alcoholism is a stealthy liability that pervades corporate America and puts some of its brightest leaders at risk. (Cover Story) This unfortunate wake-up call has been placed before, by the Wall Street mad bomber of the 50s, student radicals in the 60s and the national zealots of the last two decades. Safety and security challenges for the Nineties Kilkenny had to dig deep to overcome Waterford and Buckley reckons the drawn game was a real wake-up call for the Cats. WE'VE YOUNG BUCKS AND OLD HEADS WAKE-UP CALL Double rooms B&B from PS80 per night. HOTEL of the week The Spain striker said: "You have to have respect for the opponent and that was a good wake-up call for us." WE'LL CRO FOR A SHOCK The Commission of Health Improvement today said this was a "wake-up call for the NHS" and described the catalogue of mistakes as "avoidable". Warning over cancer gaffes At the top levels of competition, nothing is simple, not even the morning wake-up call for engines. Learning curve The rate at which voters were last night signing campaigning Labour MP Tom Watson's online petition should serve as a wake-up call for complacent Cameron. Cam's bad judgment; VOICE OF THE The transportation chief pointed out that the incident served as a "wake-up call" to revisit the agency's policies and procedures in operating the LRT-2. Tugade vows to go after those responsible for collision of LRT2 coaches "With Bashir's exit, all despots must be quaking in their boots." This, he adds, is a wake-up call for Kenya and others: "Kenya has a rapidly growing youthful population, well-educated, but faced with high unemployment levels. THE CUTTING EDGE Seeing the impact of your salary on your start-up's net income will hurt, but it's a good wake-up call for you to start working to drive the gross margin up. Most frequently asked financial questions from start-ups The blog from Tristan is a real wake-up call for the city to get its act together if we want to meet these ambitions. 'Ambition is there but where's the strategy?' Unsurprisingly, David Ben-Gurion, Israel's first prime minister, was the first to experience a prime ministerial wake-up call, which came before he was even officially prime minister. American Politicians Talk About '3 a.m. Phone Calls,' but Israeli Leaders Actually Receive Them
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