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to phone it in
01
to do something with minimal effort or enthusiasm
Idiom
What does "to phone it in" mean in effort slang?
The phrase "to phone it in" means to put in minimal effort, doing a task in a careless or unengaged way, often just to get it done without trying hard. The structure is a metaphor from older phone-in work reporting, implying remote, low-effort participation instead of active involvement. It is commonly used in work, school, and performance contexts to describe substandard effort or lack of commitment.
Examples
He totally phoned it in on the group project.
