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tonyturley

Legend
Location
Scott Depot, WV, USA
Name
Tony
. . . we've been watching too much British telly. I left my mobile on my desk while I walked out to pick up the post, and when I came back in my wife said "Someone just rang your phone." Then she paused and muttered under her breath "Rang your phone" and then laughed and shook her head. Just a little innocuous humor for a chilly day.
 
Of course, speaking as a Brit, I don’t get the joke...🤔
"Rang your phone" is not a US phrase, here it'd be more like "Called your phone" or "Called you" even just "Called". Even the word "telly" is not a US thing so what Tony is saying is that they've been watching so much UK TV content that they're now picking up UK slang over the usual US versions.

@tonyturley Next you'll be saying "mobile" instead of "phone" and pronouncing "Z" as "zed". Just watch out for using UK slang among your cigarette smoking friends, there could be a huge misunderstanding! 🤣 Oh, and if you read a lot of UK authors you'll be inserting the letter "U" into a lot of words and then starting to doubt yourself what the correct spelling is. 😁
 
"Rang your phone" is not a US phrase, here it'd be more like "Called your phone" or "Called you" even just "Called". Even the word "telly" is not a US thing so what Tony is saying is that they've been watching so much UK TV content that they're now picking up UK slang over the usual US versions.

@tonyturley Next you'll be saying "mobile" instead of "phone" and pronouncing "Z" as "zed". Just watch out for using UK slang among your cigarette smoking friends, there could be a huge misunderstanding! 🤣 Oh, and if you read a lot of UK authors you'll be inserting the letter "U" into a lot of words and then starting to doubt yourself what the correct spelling is. 😁
Yeah, I realised what he was saying, just didn't know which bit of the phrase was not US usage! Incidentally, “mobile” seems to be losing favour, just “phone” is the newer standard as it’s assumed everyone has one and fewer people have landlines. In my experience, anyway.
 
Yeah, I realised what he was saying, just didn't know which bit of the phrase was not US usage!
Nearly the entire first sentence is something you won't hear in the US too much. Telly... mobile... post... rang.

Incidentally, “mobile” seems to be losing favour, just “phone” is the newer standard as it’s assumed everyone has one and fewer people have landlines. In my experience, anyway.
In my corporate IT environment it's been the opposite with more of my fellow US team members starting to use the word "mobile" more often since it's commonly used by our "offshore" contractors. I'd have to double-check but I think the corporate official signature template has also changed from using "Office" and "Cell" for our telephone numbers to be "Office" and "Mobile" instead.
 
Yeah, I realised what he was saying, just didn't know which bit of the phrase was not US usage! Incidentally, “mobile” seems to be losing favour, just “phone” is the newer standard as it’s assumed everyone has one and fewer people have landlines. In my experience, anyway.
Us too. We used “cell phone” but the “cell” part is going away and we are also going to just “phone”.
 
I think many people would have given up their landline years ago, were it not for the internet service which uses the same physical connection. Now that most mobile contracts come with an unlimited number of call minutes, there's really no need for a landline phone (unless you're in a lousy reception area or it's your mum calling).

-R
 
"Rang your phone" is not a US phrase, here it'd be more like "Called your phone" or "Called you" even just "Called". Even the word "telly" is not a US thing so what Tony is saying is that they've been watching so much UK TV content that they're now picking up UK slang over the usual US versions.

@tonyturley Next you'll be saying "mobile" instead of "phone" and pronouncing "Z" as "zed". Just watch out for using UK slang among your cigarette smoking friends, there could be a huge misunderstanding! 🤣 Oh, and if you read a lot of UK authors you'll be inserting the letter "U" into a lot of words and then starting to doubt yourself what the correct spelling is. 😁

Quite amusing, really. We in the U.K. have spent the past 50 years absorbing U.S. words and expressions, through television and film. Now that we have - to a large extent - completed the process, you're absorbing ours! ;)

What a strange world it is. :D
 
I’m glad you explained that ... I was thinking maybe you didn’t use the word phone in the US!

In the United States, the word "phone" has been used ever since 1982, in the Steven Spielberg movie E.T., when the expression, "Phone home, E.T." brought the word into the popular lexicon.
 
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