# Answering the phone **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 28, 2024, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/answering-the-phone/1012261 "2024-12-28T14:17:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![Seanette](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/seanette/32/9139_2.png) [@Seanette](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Seanette)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2025, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/answering-the-phone/1012261/101 "2025-03-24T00:12:31Z")
For some reason, this made me think of a time I answered my home phone with my work greeting (shortly after I’d gotten home). Turned out to be a co-worker of mine, too. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2025, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/answering-the-phone/1012261/102 "2025-03-24T01:48:26Z")
> [@BobLibDem](#): > > You could go back to Alexander Graham Bell’s idea of saying “Ahoy”. You could: > [@Answering the phone](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/answering-the-phone/1012261): > > Has anyone here adopted the gruff “Talk to me” from The Fugitive, when the one-armed guy answers the phone? “Ahoy” died in birth, and “Hello” has had a good run. Time for a change. > [@Answering the phone](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/answering-the-phone/1012261/71): > > What I think is an interesting bit of history is being hinted at here. When the telephone was first invented, there was no standard for how one should answer the telephone. Ahoy was Alexander Graham Bell’s suggestion, while Thomas Edison thought hello was better. Just one question: how many times does an “Ahoy” echo? At least twice, maybe more 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Red\_Wiggler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/red_wiggler/32/13190_2.png) [@Red\_Wiggler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Red_Wiggler)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2025, 10:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/answering-the-phone/1012261/103 "2025-03-24T10:46:04Z")
For spam calls, a cheery “Who dis?” ---
**Author:** ![Mk\_VII](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Mk\_VII](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mk_VII)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2025, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/answering-the-phone/1012261/104 "2025-03-24T14:45:18Z")
For those whose last name coincides with somebody famous, people saying “No relation, I suppose” gets old very quickly. ---
**Author:** ![phs3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8491ac/32.png) [@phs3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phs3)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2025, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/answering-the-phone/1012261/105 "2025-03-29T22:33:37Z")
> [@PatrickLondon](#): > > If I get someone saying they’re from [some phone or IT company I have no dealings with] I just say “No you’re not” and hang up. I’ve done that. Or when they say “Is this [actual name]?” I say “What do you want?” and if they say “This is so-and-so–” I stop them, “I couldn’t possibly care less WHO you are, I asked WHAT. DO. YOU. WANT.” If they can’t pass that test the second try, I’m done. ---
**Author:** ![bob\_2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bob_2/32/3341_2.png) [@bob\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bob_2)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2025, 9:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/answering-the-phone/1012261/106 "2025-03-30T09:01:02Z")
> [@ratatoskK](#): > > I just say “Hello” and when they ask me who I am I just ask “Who’s calling?” This is me, too. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2025, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/answering-the-phone/1012261/107 "2025-03-30T13:25:34Z")
I recently answered my phone, “hi, this is Puzzlegal”, totally confusing the guy who’s called me. It was my cell phone, of course he knew who would answer it. I mostly use a landline, and that’s where i developed my phone habits. ---
**Author:** ![LurkMeister](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/3da27b/32.png) [@LurkMeister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LurkMeister)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2025, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/answering-the-phone/1012261/108 "2025-03-30T17:00:29Z")
If a call comes in on my landline and I don’t recognize the name or number on the Caller ID I let it go to my answering machine, which has a generic “This is [phone number]. please leave your message after the tone” message. Most times I just get a click of the caller disconnecting. I figure if it’s someone who needs to talk to me they’ll start to leave a message, at which point I’ll answer the phone if I recognize the caller. I get very few calls on my cell phone. Depending on my mood, if I don’t recognize the caller I’ll either let it go to voicemail or answer, and then as soon as I recognize that it’s spam or someone wanting me to donate to some police fund I just hang up. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/answering-the-phone/1012261.md?page=5)