On the Telephone
In the Olden Days, when I were a lass, phone number had letters in them too.
So when I wanted to ring the Communist's shop in York I would dial 0Y04 as the code for York.
Then the letters went and the code for York became O904. The code for Leeds was 0532 for years and years.
Then they ran out of numbers, or something, so put a 1 in all the codes, and Leeds became 01532 (yes, I know this could be less than enthralling but there's a point to it, honest).
Finally, they rejigged all the codes in the country and the code for Leeds became 0113. But at the same time they put a 2 in front of the existing number. So if your number was 0532 666666 it became 0113 2666666.
And lots and lots of people now thought the code for Leeds was 01132, so they wrote 01132 down as the code for Leeds in their address books.
And then when anyone told them their phone number, if they were in Leeds, they added it on. But Leeds people knew that their phone numbers began with 2 and that the 2 wasn't part of the code. So if they gave anyone the number, they'd begin it with 2 (enthralling, isn't it? Bear with me, I've had a very long day).
And then people who thought the code for Leeds was 01132 would add a number that began with 2 and they would now have an extra 2 in the middle, and the number would, therefore, not work.
And so THIS is why my mother, currently staying with Amy in Barrow, and using Amy's address book, couldn't ring me and couldn't ring the Communist and finally rang me on my mobile to find out why not.
And she's very deaf. And she doesn't do numbers well since her stroke about fifteen years ago.
"What number have you been trying, Mum?"
"Well, the Leeds code and then 2666666" (that's not my real number, because I don't want Mad Internet Axeman to start ringing me up, if he's out there).
"I think you may have the code wrong. Could you tell me exactly what you've been dialling?"
"Pardon? I've just rung 07790 - - "
"That's my mobile, Mum. What was the Leeds number you were trying to ring?"
"Well, your home number. And it doesn't work. And neither does your Dad's."
"I think you may have the code wrong."
"Pardon?"
"What code were you dialling?"
"The one for Leeds."
"And can you tell me what it is?"
"I know the code for Leeds. But the number doesn't work."
"Could you tell me exactly what you've been dialling?"
"Well, the code for Leeds, and then your number. But it doesn't work."
"Look, I'll tell you the number. You just write down what I say."
"Pardon?"
"WRITE. THIS. NUMBER. DOWN. EXACTLY. AS. I. SAY. IT."
"Okay. Go on then."
"0 - 1 - 1- 3 - 2- 6 - "
"You've missed out a 2."
"No, Mum, there's only one 2 in the middle."
"One Two? One two what?"
"No, no. Let's go back to the beginning. I haven't missed out a two."
"You've missed out two what?"
"I haven't - - oh, wait - -MUM. JUST. WRITE. THIS. DOWN. AND. DO. NOT. SPEAK. JUST. WRITE. DOWN. EVERY. NUMBER. AS. I. SAY. IT. AND. DON'T. ASK. QUESTIONS."
"Pardon? What questions?"
Oh, I got it through to her eventually. Tiresome business, old age. And that's just me. I think I aged ten years during the one phone call.
So when I wanted to ring the Communist's shop in York I would dial 0Y04 as the code for York.
Then the letters went and the code for York became O904. The code for Leeds was 0532 for years and years.
Then they ran out of numbers, or something, so put a 1 in all the codes, and Leeds became 01532 (yes, I know this could be less than enthralling but there's a point to it, honest).
Finally, they rejigged all the codes in the country and the code for Leeds became 0113. But at the same time they put a 2 in front of the existing number. So if your number was 0532 666666 it became 0113 2666666.
And lots and lots of people now thought the code for Leeds was 01132, so they wrote 01132 down as the code for Leeds in their address books.
And then when anyone told them their phone number, if they were in Leeds, they added it on. But Leeds people knew that their phone numbers began with 2 and that the 2 wasn't part of the code. So if they gave anyone the number, they'd begin it with 2 (enthralling, isn't it? Bear with me, I've had a very long day).
And then people who thought the code for Leeds was 01132 would add a number that began with 2 and they would now have an extra 2 in the middle, and the number would, therefore, not work.
And so THIS is why my mother, currently staying with Amy in Barrow, and using Amy's address book, couldn't ring me and couldn't ring the Communist and finally rang me on my mobile to find out why not.
And she's very deaf. And she doesn't do numbers well since her stroke about fifteen years ago.
"What number have you been trying, Mum?"
"Well, the Leeds code and then 2666666" (that's not my real number, because I don't want Mad Internet Axeman to start ringing me up, if he's out there).
"I think you may have the code wrong. Could you tell me exactly what you've been dialling?"
"Pardon? I've just rung 07790 - - "
"That's my mobile, Mum. What was the Leeds number you were trying to ring?"
"Well, your home number. And it doesn't work. And neither does your Dad's."
"I think you may have the code wrong."
"Pardon?"
"What code were you dialling?"
"The one for Leeds."
"And can you tell me what it is?"
"I know the code for Leeds. But the number doesn't work."
"Could you tell me exactly what you've been dialling?"
"Well, the code for Leeds, and then your number. But it doesn't work."
"Look, I'll tell you the number. You just write down what I say."
"Pardon?"
"WRITE. THIS. NUMBER. DOWN. EXACTLY. AS. I. SAY. IT."
"Okay. Go on then."
"0 - 1 - 1- 3 - 2- 6 - "
"You've missed out a 2."
"No, Mum, there's only one 2 in the middle."
"One Two? One two what?"
"No, no. Let's go back to the beginning. I haven't missed out a two."
"You've missed out two what?"
"I haven't - - oh, wait - -MUM. JUST. WRITE. THIS. DOWN. AND. DO. NOT. SPEAK. JUST. WRITE. DOWN. EVERY. NUMBER. AS. I. SAY. IT. AND. DON'T. ASK. QUESTIONS."
"Pardon? What questions?"
Oh, I got it through to her eventually. Tiresome business, old age. And that's just me. I think I aged ten years during the one phone call.
posted by Daphne at 7:48 pm
6 Comments:
Mad Internet Axeman here. Just piecing together all the clues and then I won't need your phone number, I'll be round at your door. Or I could just leave lots of disturbing or disturbed comments on your blog - would't that be annoying?
I don't think I have ever quite understood how changing the code frees up more numbers.
In most places the phone number stayed the same (no extra 2 at the front) it was only the code that changed. So if you have a six digit phone number then surely there are only a certain number of six digit numbers there can be (999999 in fact) and changing the code doesn't change that.
Mind you of course you couldn't have a phone number 999999 cos if you were dialling it as a local number you would get to the emergency services before you could finish calling whoever you wanted to talk to.
Useful though if you've got a mad internet axeman at your door.
My head hurts!
Your post brought back memories of growing up in mid-twentieth century rural America. Our telephone number was 157J-3. The 3 stood for the number of rings that indicated a call was for us because we were one of several families on the same "party line." Our phone had a crank we had to turn to reach the operator. Later our number was 4726 and the phone was a regular phone but it had no dial; I can't remember how we reached the operator. Eventually we got a phone with a dial containing numbers and letters, but more years went by before there were seven positions in a telephone number. To make remembering the number easier, many places in the used words as a prefix but used only the first two letters as part of the actual number. In the east, for example, BIgelow was in New Jersey, TUrner was in Philadelphia, and MUrray Hill was in New York City, I think. Now, we have to press (not dial) ten digits to include an "area code" and even more for a "country code" if necessary.
Progress rarely means simplification. I don't know how to reach the Mad Internet Axeman, not that I'm looking for him.
THe REAL Mad Internet Axeman calling... Back in The East Riding in the early sixties/late fifties our home number was Leven 272 - just three digits. To call out of Leven you had to get through to the operator who wou;ld eventually connect you. I guess they didn't make many phone calls in those days. Conservatively, I would estimate a 1000% increase in phone call traffic since 1960 but then again I was never very good with numbers.
Oh, bless! I absolutely know those conversations - only my Mum usually gets cross part-way through an explanation like this, insists she had it right all along and that I was trying to muddle her, and tells me firmly that she may be old but she's not daft.
LOL!
Our first phone number had the first three letters of the nearest village, then a three digit number. *Sigh of nostalgia*
That was the epitome of 'who's on first' for sure.
We also had letters in our phone numbers when I was a youngin. Ours was Olympia-96184. Wow, I can't remember what I ate for breakfast yesterday, but I can remember my phone number from 45 years ago.
Is the same in London with the '020' and '0208' issue. Correct form is 020 8xxx xxxx (or 020 7xxx xxxx) but lots of people (including advertisers) will still do it '0208' or '0207' (implying if you live in London and dial the rest of the number without the 0207 bit you will get through. Which you won't! Crazy. And 0208 just looks plain wrong. It's long been a bugbear of mine.
Post a Comment
<< Home