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Glite Dictionary
to come calling

to come calling

14 6.3
To arrive without warning and often bring good or bad results
  • phrasal verb
  • Informal
translation icon : llamar
  • When the police come calling at your door, it usually indicates something serious has happened.
  • Hollywood came calling
  • company comes calling
  • visitor came calling

So first be on Vine, make the videos and then the audience and then brands, you know, if you're good and if you fit their brand, they come calling.

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Examples

  • One day your sister came calling, and she saw Dexter.

    Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005)

  • I expect the sheriff already knows I'm in here with you, and that's enough to make him come calling this evening.

    Fiction book (1990)

  • Not every day the cops come calling.

    Bloodrunners (2017)

  • The good news was that a man was about to come calling.

    Bull Durham (1988)

  • One day, a man called Captain Hunter came calling.

    Fiction book (1999)

  • And if they ever come calling, I'm going to go to jail.

  • If the US attorney's office comes calling, that will not be an option open to him.

    Blog text (13)

  • In fact, his visitor was the last person on the entire ship that he had expected to come calling on him.

    Fiction book (1991)

  • No one is safe on our team if Denver comes calling.

    Blog text (11)

  • A little late to come calling, isn't it?

    The Horror of Frankenstein (1970)

Synonyms

to turn up
vsto come calling
177 2.0

To appear after being lost or when not expected

often arrive unexpectedly to cause effects or seek attention, not just return
to come knocking
vsto come calling
22 5.2

To appear unexpectedly, like at your door, asking for help or a chance

often arrive unexpectedly and bring consequences rather than seeking help
to come out of the woodwork
vsto come calling
  • Informal
20 7.2

To appear suddenly after being hidden or not active

appear unexpectedly in any situation rather than only after hiding
to crop up
vsto come calling
20 4.3

To appear suddenly, often as a problem or question

refer to arrivals of people or things seeking attention, not just events
to come forth
vsto come calling
  • Formal
7 4.2

Appear from a place, often suddenly

arrive unexpectedly often bringing effects or seeking attention rather than formal emergence
to pull up on someone
vsto come calling
  • Slang
9.2

To arrive suddenly to confront someone, often in a challenging way

arrive unexpectedly without confronting or challenging someone directly
to knock at someone's door
vsto come calling
  • Informal
5.4

To appear as a good chance for you

refer to an unexpected arrival that often involves people seeking attention, not only opportunities

Antonyms

to sneak off
  • Informal
33 4.0

Leave a place quietly so others do not notice

How Sudden

to come calling
  • Informal
14 6.3
to show up
∞ 1.4
to appear
873 1.0
to descend
80 4.2

Surface Forms

come calling infinitive
coming calling present participle
comes calling third person singular
came calling past
come calling past participle

Morphology

come + calling

The components 'come' (to arrive) and 'calling' (related to calling/visiting) give a clear cue of arrival or visitation, so a learner who knows both words can often infer the basic sense of something or someone turning up. However, the idiomatic extension (e.g. 'trouble comes calling') and the nuance of consequences or unsolicited appearance are metaphorical and not fully predictable, so it is not fully transparent.

Etymology

The phrase come calling paints a picture of someone walking to your door and loudly calling your name to get your attention. So when something 'comes calling' it 'appears' or 'shows up', often without warning, and asks for your attention or brings consequences you must deal with.