moosecall

plural moosecalls

1. A horn, for example of birchbark, which imitates the bellow of a moose.

   I'm in danger of losing my mind, listening to Larry blow on that moosecall. I'm sorry I ever let him have it. He is my nephew, by the way.

   1995, Annabel Lee, P.I.: And Other Mystery Stories, Highlights for Children, →ISBN

   2 more examples

   A moosecall is a horn of birch bark used by hunters to imitate the roar and bellow of the bull moose. Hunters themselves disagree as to whether the moose is ever fooled by a moosecall.

   1948, George W. Stimpson, Information Roundup, page 408

   Mister MacNab said he had just the thing in mind for his own wife. “'Tis a moosecall,” he announced happily, "which gives an excellent rendition of a female cow in the th-r-roes of r-r-romantic ecstacy."

   1958, Corey Ford, You Can Always Tell a Fisherman...: The Minutes of the Lower Forty Shooting, Angling and Inside Straight Club, page 55

2. The noise made by this device.

   First of all, I could hear the handful of boos and moosecalls underneath the cheers as I took my place among the other Giants.

   2012, Gordon Korman, No More Dead Dogs, Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, →ISBN

   1 more example

   Once I was just walking along innocently with Richie when all of a sudden, from down the hallway and around the corner, I hear this moosecall. I didn't even think. I just moosecalled back.

   2014, Jerry Spinelli, Space Station Seventh Grade: The Newbery Award-Winning Author of Maniac Magee, Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, →ISBN

present singular third person moosecalls · participle present moosecalling · participle past moosecalled · past moosecalled

1. intransitiveTo produce such a sound.

   Once I was just walking along innocently with Richie when all of a sudden, from down the hallway and around the corner, I hear this moosecall. I didn't even think. I just moosecalled back.

   2014, Jerry Spinelli, Space Station Seventh Grade: The Newbery Award-Winning Author of Maniac Magee, Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, →ISBN