Deceptionist [n.]        A receptionist whose job is actually to delay or block potential visitors. Ruthless with a polite, perfect smile.

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I have seen many great school secretaries and several great bishop's secretaries able to do this painlessly. (I'm glad to know that there is a word for it so I can teach it to our parish secretary!)

I can see how, in some large organizations, you might be passed thru succeeding hoops till you got shunted to the deceptionist. I wish they had them for hold buttons on the phone instead of the relentlssly bad music-- we need something more like a USO hostess of old!

(Secretary AKA exec asst or adm asst)

~Susan