I've only used the term in reference to speaking to a dog before taking her for a walk

In fact, when I read your subject line, I assumed that you were referring to taking a dog outside.


I would submit that the word is indeed last-century, and probably went out of fashion by the early 80s.

So, you would use? Portable listening and talking device?

Assume there are no cell towers around.

Maybe "radio" or perhaps "two-way," but it would depend on the time/setting of your story.

Two-way isn't bad.

...I haven't heard the term in quite a while. IMHO, yes it is.

Thanks!

She wouldn't do it. I still don't know why. But the ones in the Monkey Ward catalog were probably cheap toys anyway and would have been a disappointment.

Translated, "I came, I saw, I walked all over them." I think it is Latin, so yes it would be anachronistic.