white telephone

8.2

A telephone that gives a direct line to top officials or advisers

noun
/waɪt ˈtɛlɪfoʊn/

: teléfono blanco

The office has a white telephone for urgent calls.

Examples

In classic films, the white telephone became a symbol of wealth and exclusivity.
Only authorized staff were allowed to use the white telephone in the control room.
A white telephone on the president's desk connects him directly to his top advisers.
Can you pass me the white telephone?
The office had a white telephone on the desk that was used exclusively for important client calls.
He reached for the white telephone to discuss the confidential matter with his supervisor.
In the executive suite, a white telephone symbolized direct access to upper management.

Surface Forms

white telephone singular

white telephones plural

Morphology

white + telephone

Although the constituents literally denote a telephone that is white, the conventionalized meaning — a specially designated or privileged direct line — is not predictable from the words themselves. Color-coded symbolic uses (e.g. a "red phone" for emergency lines) are culturally specific rather than a general compositional pattern, so a B1 learner who knows the words would most likely interpret this literally and not infer the symbolic function.

Etymology

White telephone may come from old offices and films where a special white telephone sat on a leader's desk for private calls to important people. That's why white telephone now means 'a direct, special line' or a symbol of wealth and exclusivity.