calling card
4
6.0
- noun
- /ˈkɔːlɪŋ kɑːrd/
- Archaic
:
tarjeta de visita
- Tucking the calling card into her pocketbook, she mounted the steps and rang the bell.
- leave a calling card
And girlfriend, wife, whoever answered the phone, I went in, I went to his bedroom, I took his stuff and he I basically left him my calling card.
- And girlfriend, wife, whoever answered the phone, I went in, I went to his bedroom, I took his stuff and he I basically left him my calling card.
Examples
-
Adorna, Viscountess Ruskin, looked at the ornate lettering on the calling card in her gloved hand, then up at the tall limestone townhouse.
Fiction book (2000) -
You know, he was a flamboyant socialite who carried a pocketful of calling cards.
-
Always good to leave a little calling card behind.
Fiction book (1999) -
And the woman had not left a calling card.
Fiction book (2000) -
" Oh, you Americans are always so well organized with your calling cards."
Fiction book (2000) -
Moriarty has left his calling card.
-
Left his calling card with your lady-in-waiting?
-
If he's that difficult to see, perhaps we ought to leave a calling card.
-
"This is like an engraved calling card?"
Fiction book (1992) -
After meeting her friends, she always leaves a calling card as a polite gesture.
Synonyms
∞
1.0
A small rectangular piece of plastic or cardboard for showing identity and for paying
68
1.0
A small printed card showing a person's name, job, company, and contact details
1
6.4
A small card with a person's name and sometimes address left to announce their visit
A small card with a person's name, job title, phone number, and email that people give in business meetings
Antonyms
How Informative
Surface Forms
Morphology
The figurative sense 'a distinctive feature' is only loosely linked to the parts: 'card' can denote an identifier (like a business/visiting card) and 'calling' relates to one's role, so there is a metaphorical extension from an identifying card to an identifying trait. A B1 learner who knows the literal words is likely to think of a physical/business card and would not reliably infer the abstract idiomatic meaning without prior exposure, so the relation is partial but not fully transparent.
Etymology
Calling card comes from the old habit of leaving a small card with your name when you 'called', that is, visited someone's home. That's why it means a card left as a greeting or proof of visit.