Beck and call - or beckoned call?

[OhLookMarch]

AIBU to actually not have a fucking clue which one is correct? It didn't occur to me until someone pointed it out. I thought it was the first one...

[Steamedbadger]

It is not reigned in when you are suggesting curbing something. The metaphor is reined in.

Like a Norse

[LoadOfUtterBoswellocks]

ooh, where is the FB selling page thread?

[Hazeintheclouds]

It is not reigned in when you are suggesting curbing something. The metaphor is reined in.

[Hazeintheclouds]

Beck and call.

[zoellafortitude]

This site is very interesting. I enjoyed reading all about this phrase!

www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/beck-and-call.html

What's the meaning of the phrase 'Beck and call'?
To be at someone's beck and call is to be entirely subservient to them; to be responsive to their slightest request.

What's the origin of the phrase 'Beck and call'?
Beck and call'Call' is used here with its usual meaning. 'Beck' is more interesting. The word, although it has been in use in English since the 14th century, isn't one that is found outside the phrase 'beck and call' these days. It is merely a shortened form of 'beckon', which we do still know well and understand to mean 'to signal silently, by a nod or motion of the hand or finger, indicating a request or command'.

Left quote icon
'Call' we know, but what's a 'beck'?
right quote iconIf the term 'beck and call' had originated prior to the 14th century we would presumably now say 'beckon and call'. It didn't though, the first recorded use of 'beck and call' that I can find in print is in Aemilia Lanyer's set of poems Salve Deus Rex Judaeorum, 1611:

The Muses doe attend upon your Throne,
With all the Artists at your becke and call;

That is straightforward enough. What brings the phrase to the attention of etymologists is the confusion that some people have between it and 'beckon call'. This supposed phrase is a simple mishearing of 'beck and call'. The mistake comes about because no one uses 'beck' any longer, whereas 'beckon' is commonplace.

'Beckon call' could be said not to be a phrase in English at all, but it is gaining some ground nevertheless. At present (January 2007) Google finds 28,000 hits for 'beckon call' and 474,000 for 'beck and call'.

The misspelling began in the USA in the early 20th century; for example, this early citation from The Modesto News-Herald, May 1929:

A crowd of several hundred people heard a stirring address by B. W. Gearhart, Fresno attorney and American Legion official. "Down through the history of American wars, from the Revolutionary to the recent World conflict," the speaker declared, "America always has had at its beckon call men who would give their all for their country that people might enjoy peace and freedom.

The rogue phrase still appears in print in newspapers. Here's a recent example from the London Daily Mirror, by Phil Differ and Jonathan Watson:

He [football manager Dick Advocaat] told me what he was particularly looking forward to when he comes to Scotland and that's having the entire Scottish press at his beckon call and I promised he won't be disappointed.

Just because 'beckon call' is based on a mishearing doesn't mean that it won't one day become accepted as proper English. Other phrases, like 'beg the question' for instance, are routinely used incorrectly by so many people that the incorrect usage has now become the standard. Let's hope 'beckon call' dies a natural death, not only because it is essentially just a spelling mistake but because its adoption would signal the last gasp of the enjoyable little word 'beck'.

[whitesoxx]

@TheGlaikitRambler is your friend my DP? He says open says me

I know someone who thought boy George was singing "come ere Leanne"

And someone on my fbook who comments "Good Riddons" a lot. She's often "On Route" as well.

[AdvancedAvoider]

Today's gem that I've seen.

Disenvectant

[Andrea1234567]

And she has her nans recipe for synonym rolls

[Andrea1234567]

OP probably says 'bone apple tea'

[SurgeHopper]

Someone told me that the baby she was expecting was going to be their last so her husband was going to have a 'vast economy'


^^

Weeps

[SurgeHopper]

Beck and call

Middle English

[NuffSaidSam]

Our local library had loads of posters advertising the 'Bomb Fire' celebrations on 5th November last year.

[HarryTheSteppenwolf]

Whilst working as a TA, I heard an English teacher refer to a character in a book as "obeast". Not good!

I've heard lots of people referring to a coffin bring taken to the cemetery/crematorium in a "Hurst".

[Hecateh]

Do you have a ''pacific' reason for asking this question?

Oh - and the best one I ever heard

Someone told me that the baby she was expecting was going to be their last so her husband was going to have a 'vast economy'

[Angie169]

ShitAtScarbble
oh god hope not I can only cope with one person saying it !

[SparklesandFlowers]

I saw someone on here recently post 'wala' instead of 'voila'. I've no idea where they think that's come from or why it's used the way it is.

[TheGlaikitRambler]

My friend is convinced the saying is "open says me" instead of open sesame.

[QuirkyQuark]

Ahahaha you need to pop on to the fb selling thread. We're guffawing about misspelt words and phrases.

[drigon]

Whilst working as a TA, I heard an English teacher refer to a character in a book as "obeast". Not good!

[Spiritinabody]

An escaped goat

[ShitAtScarbble]

A 'chest of field sofa' 😂😂😂 That’s a new one. Bet I’ll be seeing that everywhere from now on!

[CheshireChat]

But why not just Google it? It'll have been faster and easier .

[Angie169]

ShitAtScarbble
that phrase drives me nuts , whats wrong with them fools ?
mind you I heard a even worst one a few weeks ago when a friend said she has always wanted a 'chest of field sofa' ARGH

[Angie169]

I think it is beck and call too .
As I understood it to beck or beckon some one over would be to curl your finger up and use that 'come here' motion like you would do to a child , to add to this you call them at the same time.
Beckoned would be the past tense ie ' he was beckoned over to his aunts bedside'

[ShitAtScarbble]

What would 'beckoned call' even mean? Are you a 'chester draws' type of person?