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wake-up call
noun
- a telephone call that wakes a person from sleep
- an event that alerts people to a danger or difficulty
Idioms and Phrases
A portentous event, report, or situation that brings an issue to immediate attention. For example, The rise in unemployment has given a wake-up call to state governments , or The success of the online subscription is a wake-up call to publishers . This metaphoric term originated in the second half of the 1900s for a telephone call arranged in advance to awaken a sleeper, especially in a hotel. Its figurative use dates from about 1990.Example Sentences
"It wasn't until seven years ago that I had a massive wake-up call and realised the loud, energetic greengrocer persona I was on the telly was, maybe, becoming redundant. So I changed."
He decided to attend Sherman Oaks Notre Dame as a freshman, requiring 6:30 a.m. wake-up calls and enduring traffic jams on the 5 Freeway.
After spending time in an eating disorder unit, I was told that if I didn't change, I'd soon be sectioned, which was the wake-up call I needed.
"This serves as a wake-up call for the region, not only to reduce reliance on the US, but also to re-balance overdependence on any single trade and export partner."
"These findings should serve as a wake-up call for global health leaders. Without decisive action, AMR could undermine decades of progress in child health, particularly in the world's most vulnerable regions."
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Definitions and idiom definitions from 亚洲网紅露点 Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, 漏 Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage庐 Idioms Dictionary copyright 漏 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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