Definition

1. Noun:
   • A female assistant who has a wide variety of general office and administrative duties: The term "girl friday" refers to a woman employed as a versatile and reliable assistant, often handling diverse tasks in an office or business setting. It is an informal and somewhat dated term.

Usage

• The term is used as a countable noun to describe a person's role or job title.
• It is typically used in informal business contexts. Due to evolving language norms regarding gender, the more neutral term "administrative assistant" or "personal assistant" is often preferred in modern professional settings.

Examples

• Noun:
  • She started as the manager's girl friday, handling everything from correspondence to scheduling.
  • In a small office, one person often has to be a girl friday, taking on multiple roles.

Advanced Usage

• The term is a direct reference to the character "Friday" from Daniel Defoe's novel , who was a loyal and capable servant. The "girl" prefix specifies the assistant is female. The male equivalent is "man friday."
• The term can imply a sense of indispensability and willingness to handle any task, but its use has declined as job titles have become more specific and gender-neutral.

Variants and Related Words

• Man Friday (n): a male assistant who has a range of duties.
  • He acted as the director's man Friday during the project.
• Right-hand man/woman (n): a key assistant, especially one trusted with important responsibilities. This is a more modern and common phrase.
  • She is the CEO's right-hand woman.

Synonyms

• Administrative assistant: a person employed to assist with office tasks.
• Personal assistant: an assistant who helps a particular person with their daily business or personal tasks.
• Aide: an assistant to an important person.

Related Idioms

• Wear many hats: to have many different roles or responsibilities. This idiom describes the function of a "girl friday" without using the gendered term.
  • In my job, I wear many hats: receptionist, bookkeeper, and office manager.

Noun

1. a female assistant who has a range of duties