Originally telephones had internal batteries, either Dry Cells or
> Lead Acid batteries. The later [sic] gave rise to the phase "high > and dry" ...
That's a nice "just so" story, but it doesn't hold up. The phrase "high and dry" has nautical origins and was already in use in the
1700s, long before dry cells, lead acid batteries or telephones were invented in the latter half of next century. See ...
formatting link
for an example from 1796.
Bob Goudreau Cary, NC