port of call
6
3.4
- noun
- /pɔrt əv kɔl/
:
puerto de escala
- The Wanderer reached its first port of call, Port of Spain, Trinidad, in eighteen days.
- the first port of call
But the first port of call for many is OK, cut head count, cut quality, reduce pay, you know, get rid of this benefit.
- But the first port of call for many is OK, cut head count, cut quality, reduce pay, you know, get rid of this benefit.
Examples
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Your first port of call's not Delhi, it's Mumbai.
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You will be put ashore safely at a British port of call at the first opportunity.
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-So, what's the next port of call?
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NHS and independent hospitals would be your first port of call.
Blog text (9) -
So I forgot about it and started contemplating my next port of call.
Fiction book (1991) -
There's no doubt about it, LinkedIn should be the first port of call for any pre-interview research.
Blog text (2) -
Although patients will be reviewed regularly at their local rheumatology unit, you will often be the first port of call for someone experiencing an exacerbation of symptoms.
Academic text (2014) -
Vietnam was our fourth port of call, and Balaban had joined us in Hong Kong, our previous landing, as an interport lecturer.
Fiction book (1999) -
During our cruise, Barcelona will be the first port of call before we head to Rome.
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The ship's itinerary included several exciting ports of call around the Caribbean.
Synonyms
14
2.2
A town or city by the sea where ships load and unload things and people
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'a port where a ship stops' is directly derivable from combining 'port' (harbor) with 'call' (a visit/stop) linked by 'of', so the overall sense is a harbour at which a vessel calls. This noun-of-noun composition is a common, cross-linguistic pattern, so a B1 learner who knows the constituent words should be able to infer the MWE meaning.
Etymology
Port of call comes from old sea travel. It paints a simple picture of a ship stopping at a port to 'call', that is, to make a short visit for supplies or passengers, so today it means 'a place where a ship stops during a journey'.