call out
phrasal verb

- draw critical attention to someone's unacceptable actions or behaviour

- to say something in a loud voice

- summon someone to deal with an emergency or provide a service

Oxford Languages, Cambridge Dictionary

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PHRASE ORIGIN



The phrase "call out" in the sense of publicly challenging or criticizing someone has evolved from more literal uses of the term over several centuries.

The literal meaning of "call out" dates back to the 16th century, simply referring to shouting or summoning someone from a building or location. This straightforward usage served practical communication purposes.

By the 19th century, "calling out" developed a specific meaning in the context of dueling culture. To "call someone out" meant to challenge them to a duel - a formal, public challenge to defend one's honor. This usage connected the phrase to public confrontation and accountability.

Throughout the 20th century, the phrase maintained its association with public challenges but broadened beyond physical confrontations. It was used in various contexts like labor disputes ("calling out" workers on strike) and in classrooms (teachers "calling out" students).

The contemporary meaning - publicly identifying and criticizing problematic behavior, especially regarding social justice issues - gained significant traction in the early 2000s with the rise of social media. This modern usage preserves the core elements of public accountability and confrontation from its historical roots while applying them to current social contexts.

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Before you CALL IT A DAY (es genug sein lassen) how many of these other common call-phrases do you know?

- CALL AT = to pick up s/o or s/th from a certain place (he called at the office for the packet)

- CALL BACK = to return a phone call

- CALL FOR =  to demand (call for action); to require (calls for a celebration)

- CALL FORTH = to make something happen (the decision called forth a lot of public criticism)

- CALL IN = to get someone to come and do s/th (we had to call in the police); a short visit (they called in for a quick coffee)

- CALL OFF = to cancel (we called off the meeting)

- CALL ON = to visit (the doctor called on Bob); to ask s/o for assistance (can I call on you for help if I have a question?)

- CALL ROUND = to visit (can I call round after 6:00?)

- CALL UP = to summon for military service (he was called up in 1939); to telephone (just call me up if you have any questions)

Helga & Paul Smith

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SYNONYMS

admonish, accost, air dirty laundry, attack, bare, blow the whistle on, brazen, bring to account (to light), call attention to (on the carpet (to account, to task), CALL OUT, castigate, censure, challenge, charge, chastise, chide, confront, denounce, disclose, drag through the mud, draw attention to, expose, flag, go public with, hold accountable (feet to the fire), impeach, lambaste, lay bare, make a stand, name and shame, object to, oppose, out, outface, point fingers at, protest, put on notice (on the spot), rebuke, reprimand, reproach, reveal, roast, scold, shine a light on, single out, slam, spill the beans, spotlight, stand up to, take on (to task), uncover, unmask, unveil, upbraid

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SMUGGLE OWAD into an English conversation, say something like:

“It’s great to live in a democracy where anyone can publicly CALL OUT anyone for unacceptable behaviour.”

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