call to arms
9
5.9
- noun
- /kɔl tə ɑrmz/
- Formal
:
llamado a las armas
- The activist issued a passionate call to arms against climate change, urging everyone to join the movement.
- heed the call to arms
- issue a call to arms
And so some aspects of this book is a call to arms, right?
- And so some aspects of this book is a call to arms, right?
Examples
-
I'm not surprised Ron Paul launched this call to arms for the Constitution.
Blog text (6) -
Both sides viewed Clarke's run for office as a call to arms.
Fiction book (2001) -
Time to send up the call to arms.
-
It's a call to arms.
-
Yes, if there is a call to arms for education.
Academic text (1999) -
A sort of call to arms in times of danger.
-
Together, the two volumes were an academic call to arms.
Academic text (2003) -
I plan to continue Bill Mitchell's call to arms.
Fiction book (1993) -
Women's voices would provide a call to arms.
Academic text (2007) -
During the twentieth century, Native Americans answered the call to arms in unprecedented numbers and served with utmost distinction.
Academic text (2002)
Synonyms
12
5.6
A short word or phrase that encourages people to unite and act for a cause
8
3.9
A loud shout or short phrase that encourages people to act together
4
6.8
A strong clear request that makes people take action
2
4.3
A loud shout to encourage or rally people before a battle
How Urgent
26
6.7
- Formal
9
5.9
- Literature
4
6.8
136
2.9
759
1.4
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly compositional: 'call' = an appeal and 'arms' = weapons, so a learner who knows the words can infer an appeal to take up arms or, more generally, an urgent appeal to take action. This construction has close cross-linguistic equivalents (e.g. French 'appel aux armes'), so the underlying logic is obvious to B1 learners, though there is a slight figurative extension in some contexts where 'arms' means decisive action rather than literal weapons.
Etymology
Call to arms comes from long ago when a trumpet or bell would call people to take up arms, meaning 'weapons', and go to fight. So now call to arms means a strong appeal for people 'to take action' or to join a cause.