As a very fussy admin may I relate something that happened to me In an organisation with shared phones I was trying to get the operator to put through a business call when a young colleague picked up an extension on the same line to made a personal call Being rather tense and knowing that she swore like a trooper while driving I tactfully if rather loudly said get off the fucking phone She was fine with that but an older gentleman who d overheard it would no longer speak to me There is no moral to this story it s simply that your heading reminded me of it Fortunately these primitive days of shared phones and telephone operators are long gone I hope