Where does the expression 'make the call' come from?
We have the evidence but it's up to the jury to make the call.
asked Dec 30, 2013 at 6:40
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2My guess (which I can't confirm) is that this is another idiom taken from baseball, a reference to the umpire making the call (often connoting a difficult choice between two things), for example whether it's a ball or a strike.– anongoodnurseCommented Dec 30, 2013 at 6:56
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Why then does the umpire use the expression make a call? Why call?– Joshua RobisonCommented Dec 31, 2013 at 1:30
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1Is this actually an idiom? Call means to cry out, make noise, etc. in a literal or figurative sense in nearly all the definitions I found. In this case it's a formal pronouncement or decision.– Jesse MCommented Mar 13, 2016 at 1:27
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@medica - "Make the call" refers to choosing a strategy, not something an umpire typically does.– Hot LicksCommented Mar 13, 2016 at 22:02
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@HotLicks - I'm woefully ignorant of most sports (well, all of them, I believe), so I can't comment. I did state it was a guess. I wonder why it was up voted?– anongoodnurseCommented Mar 13, 2016 at 22:55
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2 Answers
call decision
a) [countable]: the decision made by a referee in a sports game
make a good/bad call
There may have been a few bad calls, but they're making them for a reason.
b) [singular] (informal): a decision
Don't just say what you think I would like. It's your call.
........
I think usage (b) derived from usage (a)
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My first thought was that it came from sports but then I wondered why the word call was used. Call must have originally come from a phone call that needed to be made or a shout and then it began to be used in sports. That's my hypothesis anyways. Commented Dec 30, 2013 at 14:26
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1Probably when the referees make decision, they CALL the players to be in front of them?? Commented Dec 30, 2013 at 14:29
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Note that the #2 definition is the subject of this question. And note that the use of the idiom (in the US) is with regard to choosing a strategy, so the #1 definition does not fit. Commented Mar 12, 2016 at 23:25
I have always assumed that the reference is to American football, where the quarterback must "call the play" -- specify what pattern/strategy will be used by his team -- in the huddle that occurs before the offensive team initiates a "play" by having their "center" "snap" the ball.
In most cases the quarterback chooses the play himself (from a "playbook" of options), but in some cases the play to be used is signalled in by the coach on the sidelines, somewhat analogous to upper-level management directing the actions of the first-line manager.
The expression "make the call" is often used in business meetings to refer to choosing a strategy. It's instructive to note that this usage is not analogous to a decision by a referee during/after a "play", since (except in the case of dysfunctional management) the "call" must be made early enough to affect the actions of the players on the team.
answered Mar 12, 2016 at 23:24
