A historic telephony service where callers dialed a specific number to hear a recorded female voice announce the exact time of day, usually ticking down to a precise second. Telephone companies used magnetic drums, and later digital recordings, to generate the continuous announcements. Phreaks and technicians often used the number to test line quality or trace routing without bothering a human operator.
Heard on the job
I just punched down the new block, let me call the time lady to make sure we have clean audio.
Insider tip
In many North American regions, the traditional number to reach this service was 853-1212 or an exchange spelling POPCORN.
Also heard as
- speaking clock
- POPCORN