call to account

call to account idiom
  1. Hold answerable, as in One day soon we'll be called to account for the child's behavior: [Mid-1500s]
  2. Challenge or contest, as in The IRS is bound to call us to account on these deductions. [First half of 1800s]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

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