phone cord

Beginner 💻 Tech / IT

Definition

A coiled or straight cable used to connect a telephone handset to the base unit, or to connect a telephone to the wall jack. The iconic spiral cord became a visual symbol of 1980s and 1990s home and office technology.

Example Usage

The phone cord was only ten feet long, so you couldn't wander far from the wall jack while talking.

Origin

Developed as an essential component of early telephony to allow flexible handset positioning while maintaining the connection to the wall.

Fun Fact

The coiled phone cord design was inspired by the need to save space and allow the handset to be set down without the cord becoming tangled.

Source: Definition backfill (hailey)

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