crossed lines
Confused phone connection
Crossed lines occur when telephone connections become tangled, allowing callers to hear fragments of other conversations.
The phrase extends to any miscommunication where people are unknowingly operating on different assumptions: I thought we were meeting at noon—we must have gotten our lines crossed.
The expression persists even as the telephone technology that inspired it fades.
Failure to grasp meaning
- mix-upConfusion from error
- confusionMental disorientation or bewilderment
- wrong numberCall to unintended recipient
- overheardUnintentionally listened to
eavesdrop · switchboard · disconnect · garbled · static · crosstalk · interruption · tangle
misunderstanding
Failure to grasp meaning
- mix-upConfusion from error
- confusionMental disorientation or bewilderment
- wrong numberCall to unintended recipient
overheard · eavesdrop · switchboard · disconnect · garbled · static · crosstalk · interruption · tangle · muddle
short circuit
Accidental low-resistance path
fault · outage · contact · insulation · current · voltage · grounded · live wire · transmission · grid
crossed linesclear communication
Unambiguous exchange of ideas
mutual understanding · clear signal · same wavelength · getting through · meeting of minds
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