cold call

• cold-call

cold call (plural cold calls)

1. A sales call either by telephone or personal presence, made without a referral or without preparing the recipient of the call.

   I got a cold call in the middle of dinner from someone trying to sell encyclopedias.

cold call (third-person singular simple present cold calls, present participle cold calling, simple past and past participle cold called)

1. To call someone without preparation or referral.

• cold calling

• nuisance call