phone serialism

The phenomenon of two or more telephones in an office or at home ringing at, or nearly at, the same time with irritatingly dissonant musical intervals such as seconds and augmented fourths. The term "serialism" is a musical term meaning the technique whereby pitches from a tonal series, or row, are used to form a work, usually atonal, emphasizing said series.

Oh, man, it's really getting busy in the office right now. There's phone serialism going on now---the phones are ringing off the hook!

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