party line
3
8.1
- noun
- /ˈpɑrti laɪn/
- Archaic
:
línea compartida
- Reflecting on the ordeal from the comfort of her split-level home in Raleigh, Christine Coppedge bristles with the memory of similar calls to her party line.
Examples
-
The internet is like the old crank phone party lines.
Blog text (1) -
Well, we had a party line.
Blog text (7) -
Right there on my land, she shows me her back, and I remember the eight-family party line we had when I was a kid.
Fiction book (2000) -
Bring back the rotary phone and party lines.
Blog text (3) -
OMNI ON is like a telephone party line; every channel is listening in on the conversation.
Academic text (1994) -
When I call my friend on the party line, I can hear others talking as well.
-
Using a party line means that anyone can listen in on the conversation.
-
In the past, families shared a single telephone on a party line with neighbors.
How Shared
- Archaic
3
8.1
- Specialized
5
3.7
Surface Forms
Morphology
The component 'line' (communication channel) is transparent, but understanding 'party' in the sense of 'a participant/subscriber' (rather than a social or political party) is required to derive the telephone meaning. Because that participant sense may be unfamiliar or ambiguous to a B1 learner, and the specific historical telephone usage is somewhat specialized, the overall expression is only partially predictable.
Etymology
The term party line comes from old telephone service where several houses shared the same line, so different 'parties' could listen to each other's calls. That's why 'party line' means a 'shared telephone line' used by several homes.