phone in

Meaning

1. To deliver a message by telephone when etiquette demands the effort and respect conveyed by communication in person.
2. To make a telephone call to a broadcasting station, especially to participate in a program being aired.
3. As phone it in (idiomatic) To fulfill a responsibility with a minimum effort rather than the appropriate level of effort.
4. To make an unseemly, timid performance; to be restrained and timid when bold action is called for.

Synonyms

call in

telephone in