girl friday

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girl friday

A woman works as a girl friday in a busy office.

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.
girl friday

A woman works as a girl friday in a busy office.

Noun
  1. a female assistant who has a range of duties

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