Hello, you have come here looking for the meaning of the word
telephone tag. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
telephone tag, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
telephone tag in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
telephone tag you have here. The definition of the word
telephone tag will help you to be more precise and correct when speaking or writing your texts. Knowing the definition of
telephone tag, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.
English
Pronunciation
Noun
telephone tag (uncountable)
- (idiomatic) A situation in which a person unsuccessfully attempts to contact another person by telephone and leaves a message instead, and in which the second person then unsuccessfully attempts to return the initial call and leaves a message for the first person, and so on as if the two are playing a game of tag in which the most recent person to have been left with a message is now designated as "it" (i.e. as the player now obliged to chase the other and to attempt anew to make contact).
1998 August 17, Christine Gorman, “E-Mail Your Doctor”, in Time:Playing telephone tag with your doctor is one of the most common—and frustrating—rituals of modern medicine. You phone...can't get past the receptionist...leave a message. Your doctor calls back while you're in a meeting...leaves a message. The amount of time wasted on both sides turns everybody sour.
Synonyms