French telephone

7.7

A telephone that has the mouthpiece and earpiece on one handle

noun

Archaic

: teléfono francés

The museum displays a French telephone from the 1920s in its communication technology exhibit.

Examples

She answered the ringing French telephone that sat elegantly on the desk.
Collectors often seek out the distinctive design of a French telephone for their vintage collections.
Look at that French telephone!
What a beautiful French telephone!
Collectors often seek out the distinctive design of a French telephone for their vintage collections.
The museum displays a French telephone from the 1920s in its communication technology exhibit.
She answered the ringing French telephone that sat elegantly on the desk.

Synonyms

telephone

vsFrench telephone

∞ 1.0

A device for talking to people far away

highlights the unique one-handle design rather than general calling use

handset

vsFrench telephone

34 2.5

The part of a telephone you hold to speak and listen

refers to the complete set rather than only the handheld component

telephone set

vsFrench telephone

1.5

A device for making and receiving phone calls

focuses on the specific design where both pieces are on one handle

Surface Forms

French telephone singular

French telephones plural

Morphology

French + telephone

The phrase is compositionally interpretable as a telephone associated with France or French style because 'French' simply modifies 'telephone', so a B1 learner would grasp the general idea. However the specific technical sense (a handset with mouthpiece and earpiece on a single handle) is a conventionalized, culture‑specific reference that cannot be fully predicted from the constituents alone.

Etymology

French telephone may come from an old French design where the mouthpiece and earpiece were joined on a single handle, so you held one piece to your ear and mouth. So, 'French telephone' now means 'a telephone with both parts on one handle'.