Phrase Origins: Beck and Call

To be at somebody’s beck and call means that you are always there for them in a subservient manner. I’m not used to hearing this phrase too much when referring to people, but rather to dogs. That is because I am a dog lover and hear people say that their dogs are at their beck and call.

What is sad, at least to me, is that I see people typing the phrase, “beckon call.” This is incorrect. The correct phrase is “beck and call.”

The origin of the phrase is not debated. In fact, the origin and meaning don’t have to have research done into them at all. The origin of the phrase is the meaning of the word call, a vocal sound used to call somebody or something and “beck” is simply a shortened form of the word “beckon.” Some people use “beckon” in the same way as call, but it is meant to be used as to “summon with a signal.” An example of “beckoning” would be curling your index finger towards yourself to signal somebody to come.

This means that people who say the phrase is “beckon call” should really be saying that the phrase is “beckon and call.” Of course, this would be correct, but it would not have the unique sound of the phrase “beck and call.”

What is known is that this phrase probably developed after the 14^th century, otherwise most likely, we would use the form of the phrase “beckon and call.”

The first known citation of the phrase “beck and call” is from Sermons by McLaren. This was published in 1875. The sentence that contains the phrase is “Christ’s love is not at the beck and call of our fluctuating affections.”

This is saying that Christ loves us, no matter what. We can’t call on Christ’s love at one time and then say we don’t want him to love us at another. Christ loves us.

I can go back to the part that is sad to me. It seems that people are mistaking the phrase “beck and call” for “beckon call” more often now. While Google still has more search results for “beck and call,” the results for “beckon call,” are into the thousands and if people are not taught the correct form of the phrase, “beckon call” is soon going to be accepted into the English language. This means that it is likely that “beck and call” will fall out of use, and there will be no more usage of the word “beck.”Christ’s love is not at the beck and call of our fluctuating affections.

Sources:

beckon. (2010). In Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary.

Retrieved July 23, 2010, from http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/beckon

Martin, G. (n.d.). Beck and call. The meanings and origins of sayings and phrases | List of sayings | English sayings | Idiom definitions | Idiom examples | Idiom origins | List of idioms | Idiom dictionary | Meaning of idioms. Retrieved July 23, 2010, from http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/beck-and-call.html

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