play phone tag

play phone tag

To engage in a series of telephone calls with another person in which each time one party calls, the other is not available to answer. Hi Mary, just leaving you another message. We've been playing a bit of phone tag today, huh? Just give me a call back whenever you get this, thanks!
See also: phone, play, tag
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.
See also:
  • play telephone tag
  • tag
  • phone tag
  • telephone tag
  • be taking calls
  • taking calls
  • rings a bell, that
  • tough call
  • duty calls
  • battle
References in periodicals archive
"They don't want to spend all their day in our waiting room, and they want to be able to get in touch with their physicians and not play phone tag with the front office staff.
Making inroads in teledermatology
Off and on over the next week I continued to leave messages and play phone tag with Mr.
You know what they say about assuming
Because phone calls create more phone calls" as providers and patients play phone tag, he explained.
Web messaging boosts productivity, revenue
I'm away from my desk a lot, and with e-mail, I get information faster because I no longer have to play phone tag."
Blessing or curse? Jury's still out on workplace e-mail
I'm happy to play phone tag for weeks on end in order to avoid actually talking, let alone meeting, with someone.
Information sickness