Idioms PHONE IT IN vs. DIAL IT IN LEARN ENGLISH
The other day, I screwed up an idiom.
Do you know that phrasal verb? To screw something up means to do it wrong,
to make a mistake, to mess up. I screwed up an idiom.
I used an idiom that sounds similar but actually has an opposite meaning.
The idioms I’m talking about are ‘phone it in’ and ‘dial it in’
and they’re both great idioms that have taken hold in modern usage.
It’s absolutely possible that you’ll come across these idioms in conversations with native speakers,
and once you become really comfortable with them,
you may find that they are just the perfect phrases to express yourself in English.
Today, we’re going to deep dive with these two idioms.
You’re going to know exactly how to use them.
And don’t forget, if you like this video,
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It really does help.
To phone it in and to dial it in.
As you know, these days, a phone looks like this: Hello!
But it used to look like this, and to call somebody, you had to turn the dial.
So we have the phrase to dial a phone number.
Now we don’t dial anymore. We press a number or enter a phone number,
but we still use the verb ‘dial’.
In an emergency, dial 911.
So phone and dial go together in our heads.
But the idiom ‘phone it in’ means to do something without really trying,
without passion or enthusiasm, just because you have to do it,
produce mediocre work.
To ‘dial it in’ is the opposite.
It means to pay attention to detail, to be really focused, to produce great work.
To phone it in, this idiom comes to us from way back when someone might call into a meeting
rather than being there.
Now of course, telecommuting is incredibly common now,
in this time, to join meetings via Skype or Zoom,
but before all this technology was available, showing up in person was very important.
So if someone ‘phoned in’ instead of showing up, it showed a lack of enthusiasm and commitment.
Phone it in. Let’s look at some real-life examples of people using this idiom.
He says it’s not okay to phone it in.
He’s talking about theaters here, actors, who may be performing the same role
in the same play eight times a week for months in a row.
Even if it’s that repetitive, don’t phone it in.
Be enthusiastic, committed, and focused. Don’t phone it in.
Let’s watch that clip again.
Here’s another clip.
To write a great book, she can’t phone it in.
She can’t write without passion or enthusiasm because that would produce a mediocre book.
She can’t phone it in if she wants to write a great book.
Here’s the clip again.
Let’s look at another clip.
There, he’s talking about someone who’s close to retirement.
That could be a classic time to work without enthusiasm, to just phone it in for another year or two,
until you get to retire. But this particular pastor is not phoning it in.
He’s diving in, working on big topics in the church.
Let’s watch that clip one more time.
Now, dial it in. Originally this phrase had to do with car engines
and tuning them for optimal performance, making little adjustments here and there, getting it perfect.
Focus on perfection. The opposite of barely putting an effort, of phoning it in.
Let’s look at some examples.
So he’s talking about some sort of automatic coffee machine,
and how it can get really specific, very detailed, it can dial it in,
to make the exact perfect cup of coffee for you.
Let’s see that again.
Here’s another example.
He uses a particular tool to really dial it in,
to focus and get the details right, so the end result is perfect.
Let’s watch it again.
One final example.
Rather than going wide, you dial it in, you focus on just a few things
and work so hard so that you really excel at them.
This actually reminds me of the phrase ‘a jack of all trades, a master of none. Do you know this phrase?
A ‘jack of all trades’ is someone who can do a little bit of everything,
but if you add on ‘a master of none’ that means you don’t really excel at any of those skills.
So this guy is saying narrow your focus to just a few things,
then you can really dial it in and get really good at them.
Let’s watch that clip again.
Now, I’m going to let you really dive in with these phrases.
We’re going to be watching longer excerpts so that you get more context.
That will help you develop a deeper understanding of these idioms and how to use them.
You’ll hear each excerpt twice to give you more time to process it and really understand how the idiom was used.
We’ll do 10 examples of each and then I’ll give you some advice on what to work on next.
Now in this next example, it’s interesting.
She uses ‘dial it in’ but she makes the same mistake I made.
She should be using ‘phone it in’.
Because she’s talking about people who are not trying hard, who are not enthusiastic.
That is ‘phone it in’.
But she messes them up, she mixes them up, and uses ‘dial it in’.
Oh, I love these idioms! If there are any idioms that you’ve been confused by,
put them in the comments below, and maybe an explanation will make its way into a video.
I do have a whole playlist on idioms that you can click on right now to keep on learning.
Don’t phone it in, keep watching.
And if you don’t already know, I make new videos every Tuesday,
primarily to help non-native speakers of American English feel more comfortable with,
confident in and knowledgeable in speaking American English.
I also have an academy,
Rachel’s English Academy, where you can train to take your English communication skills to a new level,
check it out at rachelsenglishacademy.com
That’s it and thanks so much for using Rachel’s English.