screen one's (telephone/phone) calls

idiom

: to let an answering machine answer one's phone in order to hear who is calling before deciding to talk to whoever it is

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“Screen one's (telephone/phone) calls.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/screen%20one%27s%20%28telephone%2Fphone%29%20calls. Accessed 27 Feb. 2025.

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