Hi this is Tutor Nick P and this is Idioms 252. The idiom today is at one's beck and
call. Okay. Let's take a look at the note here. If someone is at another person's beck
and call, he or she is compliant. It means they comply, that they follow. They don't
resist. They are compliant and is expected to obey and cater to one's
needs. It is usually meant in a negative way. You know, like that they're almost
too demanding. It's like the person has almost become like a slave to them. Okay.
Good let's continue. Well the word' beck' is an old use that was a shortened form
or a certain version of the word 'beckon." Which meant to signal someone to come. To
beckon someone , to come. So that's where you get beck and call. So some people say
beck. Why beck ? What's beck ? Well beck was a shortened verb of beckon. You beckoned
someone to come towards you. Okay . Good. Let's look at a three examples we have
here. Example number one. The boss in the movie " The Devil Wears Prada " expected all
her assistants to be at her beck and call. Yeah. I don't know if you remember
that is ... that movie is about 10 to 15 years old now. But where Meryl Streep played
the boss in this fashion magazine and she expected her you know, her assistants
or her helpers to do anything. Long, but far beyond the nine-to-five work hours.
She expected them to always be ready for her or do anything that she wants them
to do. And some things ... you know were not even practical. She just wants them to
try to figure out a way to do it. She expected them to always be at her beck
and call. Okay. Let's look at number two here. The king expects his servants to be
at his beck and call. Yeah, especially in former times. So this could just as easily
be Queen you could say the Queen expects her servants to be at her beck and call.
So yeah a lot of times royalty did expect their servants to
be literally at their beck and call.They might beckon them to come and at their
beck and call and do whatever they wanted them to do.
All right. And number three here. In Japan during former times, geishas were trained
to be at the beck and call of any men they were hired to entertain. All right.
So this is the way we might hear the term beck and call. Anyway, I hope you got
it . I hope it's clear. Thank you for your time.
Bye-bye.