Were Ringing off the Hook?

If your phone is ringing off the hook, so many people are trying to telephone you that it is ringing constantly. Since war broke out, the phones at donation centers have been ringing off the hook.

Is ringing off the hook?

If your phone is ringing off the hook, so many people are trying to phone you that it is ringing constantly.

Where does ringing off the hook come from?

This idiom's origins come from the idea that a fish has found a way to get off the hook of a fishing pole—and has therefore escaped great danger. In the same way, if you get off the hook you've escaped a difficult situation. Another meaning is that the receiver of a telephone is not connected to the phone.