Definition

Noun: A small, enclosed structure, typically found in public places, containing a payphone for making telephone calls. It is designed to provide some privacy and shelter for the user.

Usage

The term "telephone box" refers specifically to the physical structure housing the telephone. It is commonly used in British English; the equivalent in American English is typically "telephone booth."

Examples

• Noun:
  • I need to make a call, but I can't find a telephone box anywhere.
  • The classic red telephone box is an iconic symbol of Britain.
  • She waited for him inside the telephone box to stay out of the rain.

Advanced Usage

• "to be like a telephone box": Used informally to describe a very small, cramped space.
  • This new office is like a telephone box; there's no room to move.

Variants and Related Words

• Telephone booth (n): The common American English equivalent for "telephone box."
• Phone box (n): A common, shortened form of "telephone box."
• Call box (n): Another term, sometimes used interchangeably, which can also refer to an emergency roadside telephone.

Synonyms

• Payphone kiosk: A more formal term emphasizing the payment mechanism and structure.
• Public telephone: A general term for the service, but can imply the structure as well.

Related Phrases

• To call from a telephone box: To make a telephone call using a public payphone housed in such a structure.
  • In the 1990s, it was common to call from a telephone box when you were out.

Related Idioms

• (As) private as a telephone box: Sarcastically describing a situation with no privacy, as telephone boxes, especially with glass walls, are often not very private.
  • Trying to have a confidential conversation in the open-plan office is as private as a telephone box.

Noun

1. booth for using a telephone