hookswitch

Etymology

From hook + switch.

hookswitch means The spring-loaded button on a telephone that is depressed by the action of returning the handset to the cradle, thus terminating the call. Lexicurio rates it Sui generis — a strength score of 85 out of 100.

noun

The spring-loaded button on a telephone that is depressed by the action of returning the handset to the cradle, thus terminating the call.“At 4 or 5, he learned to dial by using the hookswitch like a telegraph key.”