within call

within call idiom
Also, within hail. Near enough to hear a summons, as in Tommy's allowed to play outside but only within call of his mother, or We told them they could hike ahead of us but to stay within hail. The first term was first recorded in 1668, the variant in 1697.

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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