Is this a phone number?

it sounds like an extension...

Hour oh, how are you?

Up until not so long ago, that would be your average Brit phone number.

OK, you had an area code stuck on the front, but your actual phone could easily have had no more than four digits.

My old number, right up until about 1990. was 7979.

The old area code at that time was 779, so sometimes when I answered the phone I would sing my number as per the William Tell Overture.

"Seven seven nine seven nine seven nine,
Seven seven nine seven nine seven nine......
Repeat
Repeat with crescendo at end.



For those who do not know the WT Overture, here it is.....

For those who do, and remember black and white telly, you have my full permission to shout "HI HO SILVER, AND AWAAAAY" at the appropriate moment.

867-5309

Now I'm going to have an ear-wig all day.

I presume that 'hour' is meant to be 'four'. I am told by visiting Americans that they find it quaint or annoying when Brits say 'Oh' for 'zero' when giving phone numbers. Don't they do that in the USA? The practice of saying the number when answering the phone seems to be dying out. On a business line people might say the company or organisation name. At home I just say "Hello" and wait for the caller to say something. When I was a kid my grandmother used to say "Castle Donington three four six" when we called her. My dad, now I recall, used to say "Tulse Hill one oh six oh".

My favourite was to pick up the receiver and say "Hello, Radlett Gaslighting and Coal Company?"

In my part of the US, using 'oh' is equally as common as 'zero'. If I use 'zero', it is only for somewhat greater clarity.

This reminds me of the Flying Leathernecks, when John Wayne was attacked by a squadron of Mitsubishi ohs.

Five Seven Oh Five.....

Thanks a lot for your help. Yes, it is four six four oh. So I know now oh is zero and the telephone number could be as short as 4 digits. Thanks again for your kind help.