this post was submitted on 30 Jul 2023
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No Stupid Questions

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

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[–] [email protected] 130 points 1 year ago (4 children)

It's commonly used when you pick up a radio on a public band.

So if you have a jobsite where there are 100 radios, and someone needs to reach Ted, they'll page the radio and say something like "Hey Ted, do you copy?" and Ted will respond with "Go for Ted," which means yes, Ted is here and he's listening, go ahead.

It was used in a small way some 40 years ago and never really caught on.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 1 year ago (1 children)

And what is Ted supposed to copy?

[–] [email protected] 14 points 1 year ago

Signifying that he received a good copy of the message

[–] darcy 8 points 1 year ago

ok thank you 😃

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago

Ooooh thank you! I'd always wondered about this too.

[–] [email protected] -4 points 1 year ago

And, if you’ve reached Gopher Ted, you might respond with “Go for Gopher Ted”

Roger, Roger! What’s our vector, Victor?

Tower to radio clearance, over!

That’s Clarance Over!

What? Huh? Who?!?

[–] [email protected] 120 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (3 children)

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.

[–] [email protected] 69 points 1 year ago

“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.

[–] [email protected] 29 points 1 year ago

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!

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 year ago

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

[–] [email protected] 80 points 1 year ago

Bone apple tea

[–] [email protected] 64 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

I don't think I've ever heard someone say that at the start of a phone call but it's common when communicating with two-way radios like:

"Alex for John, over"

"Go for John, over"

""

I mostly heard that when working in large retail stores, usually the walkie talkies have an end-transmission sound que so we didn't actually have to say 'over' at the end

[–] darcy 2 points 1 year ago (1 children)
[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago

Is this the same context in which you heard it?

[–] [email protected] 47 points 1 year ago (1 children)
[–] darcy 1 points 1 year ago
[–] [email protected] 32 points 1 year ago

You see in the US there are secret underground copies of all of our houses and gopher versions live there.

They are making it clear if you are speaking to John or Gopher John.

Sorry, for real I've never heard this before. Can you tell us where you heard it from? I'm really curious now.

[–] Starb3an 24 points 1 year ago

Never heard it in real life, but have in multiple war/military movies.

[–] [email protected] 20 points 1 year ago

I’ve never heard anyone say this. Maybe we need more context?

[–] [email protected] 17 points 1 year ago

It's our national rodent and I'll thank you to take appropriate pride in her. Squeeker squeek.

I think they're saying "go for John". I saw it on a movie once and thought "huh" and my buddy Chris did it a couple times, but that's about all my IRL experience with it.

[–] [email protected] 17 points 1 year ago

Where did you possibly here that this is a thing that's said?

[–] [email protected] 13 points 1 year ago

"go for" sounds like the kind of expression a British BBC sitcom would use to exemplify American language. Even though Americans never say it.

[–] [email protected] 12 points 1 year ago (1 children)
[–] [email protected] 11 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I feel like OP forgot to add the punchline.

[–] darcy 0 points 1 year ago (1 children)
[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

So you're not going to explain why you're asking this weird question?

[–] darcy 4 points 1 year ago (1 children)

theres no stupid questions, right ?

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago (1 children)
[–] darcy -4 points 1 year ago (1 children)

im not here to educate you

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

Great attitude you've got. Glad you're here.
So everyone is supposed to educate you, but you're special?

[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 year ago

American here, and I’ve never heard anyone seriously answer the phone this way. I did have a co-worker who would answer “Go for Mike” as a joke when he knew the caller. I had the impression it was from silly comedy or sit-com or meme that went around for a while.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 year ago

Pretty sure it's an old businessman thing. "Go for (my name)!" in a cock-sure tone is pretty much how I would expect any old business hot-shot asshole to answer the phone.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 year ago

I'm American and I don't answer my phone.

On the rare occasion I do answer, I respond with "Whatcha want?"

Friends will reveal themselves real quick, scammers will also reveal themselves real quick...

[–] ExRedditor1928 5 points 1 year ago

Never heard this before.

Maybe this is related: when I did a huge remodeling construction job for a summer as an unskilled laborer, I basically ran around and helped different people on everything. That's sometimes called being a "go-fer boy". "Go for this, go for that" meaning I would always run around and fetch tools and do simple tasks.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago

We would say, "go for (name)" at work over the handheld radio, never heard of anyone using this on the phone. Sometimes I'd get bored and say "go for Zap Rowsdower" or whatever

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago

It’s uncommon, I’ve heard it used every once in a blue moon like Barney Stinson (HIMYM) answering his phone and I haven’t seen a definitive answer other than indicating to the caller that he, Barney, is the one answering the phone.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

This question has plagued my mind for decades, because the main character of the tv show Eureka, Jack Carter, always answered his radio/phone with this. And to this day I have no idea what words he was saying or why he always said it. I had started to think he was saying "gofer" which is

An employee who runs errands in addition to performing regular duties.

But that seemed a bit weird for the sheriff to say

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago

"go for", not gofer. As in "go for Jack"

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

Like most of the Americans here I've never actually heard this irl, I think it's more common in TV and movies, and that's probably because studio bigwig assholes answer the phone like this. Unless you were very familiar with someone this would be an exceptionally rude way to answer the phone

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