Talk:on the telephone
Add topicLatest comment: 7 years ago by BD2412 in topic RFD discussion: December 2017–January 2018
The following information passed a request for deletion (permalink).
This discussion is no longer live and is left here as an archive. Please do not modify this conversation, but feel free to discuss its conclusions.
I could say that I'm talking to someone on Skype as well, or on the intercom, or lots of other things. I could also say "I'm on the computer", as in "I'm using the computer", just like "on the telephone" might mean "using the phone". PseudoSkull (talk) 06:53, 18 December 2017 (UTC)
- Keep. Merriam-Webster has an entry for this https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/on%20the%20telephone. I'd say that sense 2 "Connected to a telephone system." "the percentage of households on the telephone" is definitely not SOP and it is apparently specific to British English. A household with a TV service is not said to be "on the television". Voortle (talk) 10:35, 18 December 2017 (UTC)
- A related discussion. @Paul G --Per utramque cavernam (talk) 15:35, 19 December 2017 (UTC)
- Delete for consequentiality. Also on the prior discussion it has become clear that there is no idiomaticity but just a peculiar sense of on. Palaestrator verborum (loquier) 08:41, 24 December 2017 (UTC)
- Keep in idiomatic British sense. Compare "on the internet", which has a similar meaning (having access to the internet). — Paul G (talk) 14:04, 31 December 2017 (UTC)
- Keep. One use is specifically British and that should be noted. Merriam-Webster considers it idiomatic for both senses. RightGot (talk) 17:30, 14 January 2018 (UTC)
No consensus to delete. bd2412 T 23:12, 23 January 2018 (UTC)