prank call

prank call (plural prank calls)

1. A practical joke played by calling the unsuspecting victim on the telephone, usually pretending to be somebody else.
   • 1961 April 2, “April Fool Phone Calls Decline Sharply in City”, in New York Times, page 87:

     Until noon only 251 prank calls to the Bronx Zoo had been sifted out, compared with the day-long total of 3352 on April 1, 1960. The pranksters would call Wellington 3-1500 to talk with a "Mr. Fox" (or Lyon, Bear or Wolf).

• crank call

prank call (third-person singular simple present prank calls, present participle prank calling, simple past and past participle prank called)

1. To call (an unsuspecting person) on the telephone as a practical joke.

• nuisance call