交こう換かん嬢じょう

noun

telephone operator

A somewhat dated term for a female telephone switchboard operator. The kanji 交換 refers to the switching/exchange function, and 嬢 is a suffix for young women in certain occupational roles.

• 昔むかしの電でん話わ交こう換かん手しゅは「交こう換かん嬢じょう」と呼よばれることもあった。

  In the past, telephone switchboard operators were sometimes called '交換嬢'.