Green’s Dictionary of Slang

to call on the telephone.

1933		C.G. Booth ‘Stag Party’ in Penzler Pulp Fiction (2006) 101: Some’dy belled the desk and yelled ‘Murder at the Gaiety!’.
1961		T. Taylor Baron’s Court All Change (2011) 56: ‘Why don’t you bell her and tell her to be at your place at eight?’.
1981		A. Payne ‘You Need Hands’ Minder [TV script] 56: Dave, if you hear from him, tell him to bell me, urgent.
1986		J. Sullivan ‘Video Nasty’ Only Fools and Horses [TV script] I’ll bell you, alright.
1998		I. Welsh Filth 34: I bell my wee Civil Service matey Bladesey.
2000		N. Barlay Crumple Zone 138: Fergal [...] straih’ off’s bellin’ up Georgio who’s s’posed to be sortin ’out this same stupid bitch’s brother.
2005		P. Howard Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nightdress 23: I end up [...] belling Sorcha. She answers on the third ring.
2005		Jade LB Keisha the Sket (2021) 39: ‘leme link dat boi das bin bellin off ma line’.
2009		L. McIlvanney All the Colours 145: ‘I’ll bell you later’.
2011		J. Cornish Attack the Block [film script] 48: The GANG spill inside, setting PEST down on the sofa then simultaneously pulling out their MOBILES. MOSES Somebody bell Biggz.
2020		G. Krauze What They Was 219: Some woman [...] belled an ambulance.