division bell

English

Noun

division bell (plural division bells)

1. (Commonwealth) A bell rung in or around a parliament to signal a division (vote) to members of the relevant chamber so that they may take part.
   • 1845, Benjamin Disraeli, “Chapter 3”, in Sybil, or The Two Nations, Book 4:

     The division bell was still ringing; peers and diplomatists and strangers were turned out; members came rushing in from library and smoking-room; some desperate cabs just arrived in time to land their passengers in the waiting-room.

Further reading

• division bell on Wikipedia.Wikipedia