What is the exact meaning of 'call' in the 'call an audible'?

Question

I see that "call an audible" is defined as "an American football term that refers to a last-minute change to a planned offensive or defensive play" or "To decide what to do at the last second after seeing all possible options and obstacles that come up."

What is the correct meaning of 'call' in here?

Is that ​"6 [intransitive, transitive] to shout or say something loudly to attract somebody’s attention" as in "call my name"

​or "9 [transitive] to order something to happen; to announce that something will happen" as in "call a strike" ?

Or does it meaning something else or do they mean the same thing?

Thank you very much

Answer 1

It's the second one - calling an audible is to order or announce a change of plans. The phrase can be used figuratively to describe a late-breaking change of plans, and doesn't require literally calling out in a loud voice.

It's more akin to "calling a meeting" than "calling your name". One can call a meeting or an audible without shouting to everyone else, although that would be one way to do it. If you describe that in the course of a project, you had to "call an audible", you're more indicating that you made the decision for the change to occur, rather than referring to literal announcement of that decision and the volume it was spoken at.

In football there is a literal element to "calling an audible", as it is audibly called out on the line of scrimmage, so "call" here can take a bit of both meanings - both to speak loudly and to indicate something is happening. But in general, "calling an audible" need not involve shouting, while it will always indicate that something is happening.

Answer 2

Two meanings:

1. (American football) To change the play at the line of scrimmage by yelling out a new one. [Only a player can do that.]
2. (US, idiomatic) To change plans at the last minute in response to new information.

Two meanings.