(I am assisting a customer in creating a dialup connection on his computer. We’re up to the part where he enters his password. We’ve entered a few letters, when we come to one that is a bit troublesome.)

Me: “The next letter is ‘T’, as in Tom.”

Customer: “Z?”

Me: “‘T’, as in Tom.”

Customer: “I’m not hearing that letter.”

Me: “It’s a letter ‘T’ as in Thomas.”

Customer: “P?”

Me: “A letter ‘T’, as in Thomas, as in ‘taste’, as in…”

Customer: “I’m still not hearing the letter.”

Me: “Okay, the letter in the alphabet that comes after ‘S’ as in
salamander.”

(Customer pauses for about 5 seconds.)

Customer: “L?”