pay a call

pay a call idiom
Also, pay a visit; pay one's respects. Make a short visit, especially as a formal courtesy or for business reasons. For example, Bill asked her to pay a call to his ex-mother-in-law, or Each salesman was told to pay a visit to every new doctor in town, or We went to the wake to pay our respects. Also see call on, def. 2.

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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