I have just read that there is a campaign called "Pipedown"to get rid of mindless "muzak" being played in shops etc. I hope it also applies to being "on hold" on the phone.
The report ends with the words "put a sock in it". Did this expression come about when a holiday-maker at Butlins could not find his socks? He later discovered that his brother had stuffed the socks into the loudspeaker outside their chalet.
Your question sent me to Google. The phrase first appeared in 1919. There's speculation that it was a way to control the volume in early gramophones - i.e. by stuffing a sock into the horn. I prefer your theory though!
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