we always designated the shift by "three on the tree" or "four on the floor". once in a while (back in the dark ages) there would be a five on the floor, complete with "granny gear". i think there is some dirt in the garden that is older than i am, but i'm not too sure...
hubby's family and my grandparents had "crank" phones in their places. we'd crank the number of "rings" to call someone--and if it was someone you were curious about, you answered the ring, too. no point in trying to keep secrets--small towns were just that way. and we were the fancy city folks, with our rotary dial phone.