The other day, someone walked in the room, disengaged from her phone conversation, and declared, “My cellphone has been ringing off the hook!”

Which struck me as a timely example of a no-longer-timely expression. Because, obviously, the now-common mobile/wireless phones, regardless of how much action they’re getting, don’t have hooks off which to ring. It’s linguistic anachronism in action!

Not that the phrase “off the hook” is bound to fade out anytime soon. Landline corded phones are still around, especially in offices, offering a live illustration of the concept. Heck, “off the hook” is even a favored cool-kids expression. Much like other antiquated telephone jargon, like “dialing a number” (no dialing occurs on touchtone keys, folks), this one will stick around long after its relevance will.

Still, I think the new phone handset technology calls for new, more appropriate slang to convey the message. Maybe something like, “My cellphone has been lighting up like crazy!” I’ll work on that…