That's a hard line

[Mike Hussey]

Willy want to tap Ross's phone:

Willy: Jimmy? That's a hard line, Jimmy. Why don't we have it?

What does "hard line" mean in tapping phones context?

I already read this link

Source: The Bourne Supremacy (a 2004 American action-thriller film featuring Robert Ludlum's Jason Bourne character)

 

[emsr2d2]

You looked up "hard-line" (hyphenated adjective). The words in the quote are "hard" (adjective) and "line" (noun). Having said that, I don't think looking up the words separately will help you here.
In all honesty, I'm not entirely sure what it means. I think it means a landline (a fixed line rather than a mobile connection).

 

[Charlie Bernstein]

Can you give us more of the conversation? That little snippet doesn't tell us enough.

 

[Tdol]

I thought it meant landline, but could you give us a bit more context?

 

[Mike Hussey]

Script here

 

[emsr2d2]

We're not going to scroll through the entire script to find that excerpt, Mike! Please give us the relevant page number.

 

[teechar]

Do you have a video link to that scene?

 

[Tdol]

They have the landline number, but Bourne has somehow got through in a way that thwarts the CIA. It's a long time since I saw the film, but he was always a step ahead of their technology. I think the spy is angry because he cannot hear Bourne who is phoning the journalist in a way that circumvents the CIA's bugging. I guess the CIA guy is angry because landline numbers should be easy. I will have to rewatch the film.

 

[Charlie Bernstein]

We're not going to scroll through the entire script to find that excerpt, Mike! Please give us the relevant page number.

You don't have to scroll. Just open the link and do a search for hard line. (On my Mac, that's Command-F, for Find.)

This immediately pops up:

35Y INT. CONTINUOUS. GUARDIAN -- NEWSROOM ROSS crosses the busy newsroom...
REPORTER He’s on my line...
ROSS picks up the phone.
Ross (CONT’D) Simon Ross.
35H INT. DAY. CRI HUB -- NEW YORK CITY VOSEN watches as ROSS takes phone call.
VOSEN
Why aren’t we hearing this?
WILLS
That’s a hard line, Jimmy, why
don’t we have it?
JIMMY
We have his line, sir, but he’s
not on it. WILLS looks confused.
​

So yes, it might mean landline. Or it might mean a direct connection — but to the wrong phone.

PS — Mike, you could have done that for us.