| 词组 | at (one's) beck and call |
| 释义 | at (one's) beck and callCompletely 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!" at someone's beck and callready 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. at someone's beck and callRequired 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. at someone's beck and callalways 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. at somebody’s ˌbeck and ˈcallalways 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). at (someone's) beck and call Ready to comply with any wish or command. at one's beck and callRequired 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. |
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