First call

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This article is about the bugle call. For the Christian music group, see First Call.

"First call" is a bugle call with three distinct meanings.

At a horse race, where the tune is also known as the Call to the Post, it is a signal that all mounts should be at the starting gate because the race is about to begin. The tune is usually sounded by a bugler five to 10 minutes before the scheduled start time of the race. The call serves a similar purpose in dog racing.

At a U.S. military installation it is a pre-reveille "courtesy" signal, sounded around 05:50, originally to assemble the trumpeteers to deliver the reveille that would be forthcoming at 06:00. Some locations also sound it a few minutes before retreat (lowering the flag at the end of the day).

In other military contexts it may be used (e.g. 5 minutes) prior to sounding Assembly for any particular formation. Individuals who have not fallen in by the last note of Assembly may be considered late or AWOL.

[edit] Search engines

First call is a result that is the first to appear on a list for a search query. First call is used sometimes to measure a site's popularity, for example, searching on Google for the subject and verifying the site's position on a list, if it is the first.