hold the phone
Pause a moment
Hold the phone is an exclamation asking someone to wait or pause, often because new information has emerged or something surprising has occurred.
The phone invokes the old gesture of asking a caller to stay on the line: Hold the phone—you're saying he quit?
It signals that what follows contradicts or complicates what came before.
- hang aroundRemain somewhere idly
- stick aroundRemain in place temporarily
- lingerStay beyond necessity
- reconsiderThink about something anew
- rethinkEvaluate again differently
holy cow · whoa · stay · wow · hang on · yikes · evaluate · reassess · pump the brakes · wait a minute · say what · come again · oh my · pause · just a second · wait up · reflect · slow down
surprise/reconsideration vs. expectation/acceptance
hold the phoneas expected
naturally · of course · sure enough · predictably · what else is new
hold, phone, holds, holding, holder, holders, holdings, phones, phoned