Meanings
plural candlestick telephones
- historicalcommunicationsAn early style of telephone with a mouthpiece (transmitter) mounted at the top of its stand, and a receiver that was held by the user to the ear during a call. When not in use, the receiver rested in the fork of the switch hook protruding to the side of the stand, thereby disconnecting the audio circuit from the network.
Synonyms: candlestick phone, daffodil telephone, pedestal telephone, pillar telephone, stick phone
Synonyms & antonyms
nounAn early style of telephone with a mouthpiece (transmitter) mounted at the top of its stand, and a receiver that was held by the user to the ear during a call. When not in use, the receiver rested in the fork of the switch hook protruding to the side of the stand, thereby disconnecting the audio circuit from the network.
Cite this entry
candlestick telephone. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/candlestick%20telephone
“candlestick telephone.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/candlestick%20telephone. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “candlestick telephone,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/candlestick%20telephone.
Source: candlestick telephone on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.