Noises to describe what we hear on the phone

Question

Hi teachers,Would "noises, hisses" be natural to describe the interference on the phone?  Are these called "static interference"?If that were to happen when you were having a conversation with someone, would it be natural to say:  I'm sorry, but the phone is a bit fussy / furious at the moment.  Could I call you later?My line is not working/ functioning properly/well, Do you mind if I call you back in a few seconds?The phone is giving all these hisses.  Could I call you later?Thank you.Tinanam

RayH · Accepted Answer

Any of these are okay (except "furious"):

I'm sorry, but the phone is a bit fussy ~~/ furious~~ at the moment. Could I call you later?
My line is not working/ functioning properly/well, Do you mind if I call you back in a few seconds?
The phone is giving all these hisses. Could I call you later?

In general noise on a phone line is referred to as "hisses", "clicks", or just "noise." Often someone will say "hisses and clicks" or "hissing and clicking" but it's not required.

Tinanam0102 · Answer

Hi RayH,

Thank you for your help.

I heard someone once said "fussy" but I couldn't find the meaning in my dictionary that describes nosie. Could you tell me? Thanks

Regards,

Tinanam

RayH · Answer

tinanam0102I heard someone once said "fussy" but I couldn't find the meaning in my dictionary that describes nosie.

"fussy" doesn't mean noisy but it can be used figuratively to refer to something that is causing problems, is not working properly, or requires a lot of attention to keep working.

Goodman · Answer

Noise and hiss are components in static we hear on the land-line phone. THat ususally is associated with bad connection from the handset to the base unit but sometimes can be at the phone company equipment.

Nowadays, most of us use cellular more than land-line phones. The problem with audio quality is not the same. Bad quality on cell phone is typically associated with break-ups, echoing and fading because of weak signal. When that happens, we can say something like "the line is breaking up, I call you back". Or, "Your voice is choppy, can I call you back?".

Yankee · Answer

tinanam0102I'm sorry, but the phone is a bit fussy

I can also imagine someone possibly using the word "fuzzy" to describe the way someone's voice sounds when there is a bad phone connection.

Generally speaking, when there is a problem with a phone connection, I usually simply tell the other person that "we have a bad connection", or possibly something such as "I can barely hear you". After that, I might say something such as "Let me hang up and call you right back."

Tinanam0102 · Answer

Hi RayH, Goodman and Yankee,

Thank you for your explanations on this topic. Could I ask if "nosie", a non-count referred to interference, be used as "noises" to describe a number of different interference: a hiss, a click, a bang, a glitch?

Or can I say: All sorts of noise like: a hiss, a click, a bang and a glitch and on.

Thank you.

Tinanam

Yankee · Answer

You can use either the uncountable or the countable version of "noise":

- There is a lot of noise in the background. (very general)

- There are all sorts of weird noises on the line.

You might hear a combination of some static, hisses, clicks, beeps, and echoes, for example.

However, I would not recommend using the word "glitch" to mean a sound. Most people use the word glitch to mean a small difficulty or problem, not a strange sound.

Tinanam0102 · Answer

Dear Yankee,

Thank you for your explanation of "noises" and "noise". I have further one question about "interference".

> Are "nusiance" same as "noise" on the line?

> I looked up "glitch", and it also have plural, "glitches", like "computer glitches" would mean several glitches. Do you say "we have a glitch"?

Thank you.

Tinanam

Yankee · Answer

tinanam0102> Are "nusiance" same as "noise" on the line?

No, a nuisance (note the spelling) is basically a situation, or the actions of an animal or person that causes you to feel annoyed or to have some sort of trouble. A nuicance is often related to unwanted/unpleasant/disruptive noise, however it is not restricted to that.

You might say that a constantly barking dog is a nuicance, for example. The situation is that a dog is barking incessantly, and that situation annoys you.

Or your neighbor might be in the habit of parking his car in such a way that it makes it extremely difficult for you to get your car out of your driveway. In that case, you might refer to your neighbor (or that particular habit) as a nuicance. The way he parks his car not only causes difficulty for you, but also annoys you.

tinanam0102I looked up "glitch", and it also have plural, "glitches", like "computer glitches" would mean several glitches. Do you say "we have a glitch"?

Yes, the word "glitch" is a countable noun. Click here: http://dictionary.cambridge.org/define_b.asp?key=33158&dict=CALD
I have never heard anyone use it uncountably.

Saying "We have a glitch" is like saying "We have a problem."

Tinanam0102 · Answer

Dear Yankee,

I copied the word wrong from the dictionary. Thank you for the explanation and the link.

Regards,

Tinanam

Noises to describe what we hear on the phone

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