Why do Americans answer the phone with "Gopher"?

darcy@sh.itjust.works to No Stupid Questions@lemmy.world – 54 points –

Like for instance someone saying "Gopher John" when answering the phone. What does this mean?

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I'm American and I've never heard this used.

But after thinking about it, gopher is a play on words that means "go for". So saying gopher John is like saying "go for John" and can be a greeting.

“Go for X” was somewhat common, including in media. I think OP was mishearing that. There’s virtually no way to differentiate between “gopher” and a rushed, casual “go for” in speech.

Me too and me neither. I'm over sixty, I've lived in various parts of the country, and I've never head anyone say that.

I want to know what that's about too!

I’ve only ever used this on a movie set radio. It’s real but limited in its uses.