> > I do have to say, though, that in the '80s many if not most phones had > transitioned to touch-tone 'dialing' (what a delightfully archaic term!).
Not as archaic as 'to ring off' (which dates back to magneto-ringing telephones where you gave the magneto a little crank at the end of the call to indicate to the operator to disconnect you) or 'to hang up' which refers to the wall and candlestick telephones with a receiver hanging on the hookswtich on the side. Both those terms are in common use in the UK. -tony
