Definition of phone in:
(v) :
(intransitive) To make a telephone call to a broadcasting station, especially to participate in a program being aired.
(v) :
(ambitransitive) To deliver a message by telephone when etiquette demands the effort and respect conveyed by communication in person.
(v) :
(ambitransitive, idiomatic, figurative) To fulfill a responsibility with a minimum effort rather than the appropriate level of effort.
(v) :
(transitive) To make an unseemly, timid performance; to be restrained and timid when bold action is called for.