I earned money during my undergraduate years in the summer by working as a legal stenographer (yes, I'm
that old!) for a major corporation at its headquarters in downtown Chicago (the Loop).
One week in ~1969 I was to sit in for the vacationing secretary to the head of the Patent Division of the Legal Department. I had taken typing and shorthand in high school, but had never really trained to be a secretary. Needless to say, I was somewhat intimidated. In addition, although Mr. O was an extremely personable man, he was the kind of executive who rarely answered his phone himself, even if his secretary was in his office with him.
I had just settled in at his secretary's desk when the phone rang. I answered, "Mr. O...'s office; may I ask who's calling?" The phone connection was a bit fuzzy and the caller's reply was difficult to understand. The name sounded like "Yeshu Mae." Now, the company had been setting up a major deal with Japan (several of the lawyers had been there several months earlier, in fact). So the name made sense to me.
I politely put Mr. Mae on hold and buzzed Mr. O to tell him about the waiting call. He abruptly said, "I don't know any Mr. Mae" and hung up on me. Then I heard him take the call -- followed by peals of laughter (and he had a hearty laugh that could -- and did -- bring everyone out of their offices).
The caller was an old friend of his from another law firm who had answered my "May I ask who's calling?" with the smart**s comment "Yes, you may."
It took a rather long time for everyone on the 34th floor, including me, to forget that embarrassing moment!
