Chow call is military and institutional slang for an announcement signalling that it's time to eat — the call to the mess hall or dining facility. 'Chow' is established American slang for food (of uncertain but possibly Chinese-pidgin origin), and 'call' refers to the announcement or bugle call. The term is most at home in military, camp, prison, or other institutional settings where meals are communal and announced. Carries a no-frills, no-ceremony register.
At the first chow call the recruits dropped everything and jogged to the mess hall.
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(slang) An announcement of mealtime.
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Regional slang from around the English-speaking world — British, Australian, Irish, Caribbean, Nigerian, Filipino, AAVE, and the hyphenated-English dialects that make the internet sound local.
See all Regional & Other slang on Slangora.