Beck and Call or *Beckon Call | Meaning & Spelling
Beck and call is part of the expression ‘at someone’s beck and call’, meaning ‘ready to do whatever someone asks’.
‘Beckon call’ is sometimes used instead of beck and call, but it’s incorrect and should be avoided.
- Rose is at the beckon call of her boss.
- Rose is at the beck and call of her boss.
- I’m not at your beckon call.
- I’m not at your beck and call.
Beck and call
Beck and call is part of the idiom ‘at someone’s beck and call’ meaning ‘available and willing to do whatever someone asks’. It’s typically used to mean that someone expects too much from someone else or that someone is subservient or servile.
Petra and Ana are at the beck and call of their older sister.
Other interesting language articles
If you want to know more about commonly confused words, definitions, common mistakes, and differences between US and UK spellings, make sure to check out some of our other language articles with explanations, examples, and quizzes.
Confused words
Definitions
US vs. UK spellings
Frequently asked questions
- What is a synonym of beck and call?
-
Beck and call is part of the expression ‘at someone’s beck and call’, meaning ‘willing to do whatever someone asks’. Some synonyms for ‘beck and call’ include:
- (At someone’s) command
- (At someone’s) disposal
- (At someone’s) service
- What does beckon mean?
-
Beckon is a verb meaning ‘summon someone by gesturing’. It’s sometimes mistakenly used instead of ‘beck and’ in the expression beck and call.
Cite this Scribbr article
If you want to cite this source, you can copy and paste the citation or click the ‘Cite this Scribbr article’ button to automatically add the citation to our free Reference Generator.
Ryan, E. (2023, March 14). Beck and Call or *Beckon Call | Meaning & Spelling. Scribbr. Retrieved 22 April 2024, from https://www.scribbr.co.uk/common-errors/beckon-or-beck-and-call/
