noun
ticket punch
A handheld device used by station staff to punch holes in tickets at ticket gates. Now largely replaced by automated gates, so the word is mainly encountered in historical or nostalgic contexts.
昔、駅員は改札鋏で切符に穴を開けていた。
In the past, station staff used a ticket punch to make holes in tickets.
A general loanword for a hole punch; 改札鋏 specifically refers to the railway ticket punch.
Compound of 改札 (ticket inspection) and 鋏 (scissors, shears). The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the word describes the scissor-like tool used for punching tickets.