telling bone
nounEtymology A Hobson-Jobson based on interpreting telephone as telling + bone; coined by British screenwriter Richard Carpenter for the TV series Catweazle.
1
Humorous The telephone.
Preceded by definite article
- “Oh great magician! Conjure more voices with thy telling bone.”1970, Richard Carpenter, Catweazle, Harmondsworth: Puffin Books, page 111:
- His eyes widened. The box contained the Divine Egg! The strange sorcerer who was muttering into the telling-bone had found lots of them.1971, Richard Carpenter, Catweazle and the Magic Zodiac, Harmondsworth: Puffin Books, page 134:
3 more examples
- Lately, Fergus has been even more insufferable: he's in love, a piece of intelligence I winkled out of the elder curmudgeon, his grandfather, the Laird of Gunning, on the telling bone last night.1985 May 12, The Canberra Times, page 22, column 1:
- When we land I'll give you a tinkle on the telling bone.1998, The Spectator, London:
- She's visiting her sister in Launceston and I spoke to her on the telling bone last night.2021, John Martin, Different Stripes: The first six quirky novels of the Windy Mountain series, John Martin: