call of the wild

the call of the wild

Meaning

• It talks about nature appealing to a person.
• Raw emotions, mostly volatile in nature are represented through this phrase.
• It is referred to for people who show a spurt of emotions, although not necessarily so.
• It is also used as wanting to get back to nature, but the phrase is sparingly used in that context.

Example Sentences

1. How could he hurt her like that? He has always been so nice, talk about the call of the wild!
2. It was a real call of the wild that he roughed up the cop so badly. Let me tell you that he is in trouble for a very long time because of his rage now.
3. She must have had a call of the wild to treat such a small child in this way.
4. He quit his job and went for a month long trek. He has had many such urges and calls of the wild in the past too.

Origin
This phrase has been made popular by a novel that was published by Jack London in the year 1903. The novel had the same name as the phrase. It originates from earlier than that according to historians but there is no literary proof of the same.