letter : Idioms & Phrases
Index
A power ,letter , orwarrant ,of attorney - air letter
- airmail letter
- black letter
- black-letter
- block letter
- Bullantic letters
- business letter
- Canine letter
- Canonical letters
- Capital letter
- chain letter
Circular note orletter - commercial letter of credit
- cover letter
- covering letter
- crank letter
- Dead letter
Dead letter ,Drop letter - Dead-letter office
- doctor of humane letters
- Dominical letter
- Double letter
- Drop letter
- encyclical letter
- Excrescent letter
- Extended letter
- fan letter
- form letter
- four-letter anglo-saxon word
- four-letter word
Inferior letter ,Inferior figure - investment letter
- letter bomb
- letter bond
- Letter book
- Letter box
- Letter carrier
- letter case
- Letter cutter
- Letter lock
Letter of attorney ,Letter of credit - letter of credit
- letter of intent
- letter of jeremiah
- Letter of license
- letter of mark and reprisal
- letter of marque
- letter of the alphabet
- letter opener
- Letter paper
- Letter punch
- letter security
- letter stock
- letter telegram
- Letter writer
- letter-perfect
- Letter-sheet envelope
- Letters close ∨ clause
- Letters of administration
- letters of marque
- Letters of orders
- letters patent
Letters patent ,overt , ∨open - Letters testamentary
- Love letter
- lower-case letter
- man of letters
- market letter
- Movable letter
- news-letter
- night letter
- Nundinal letter
- open letter
- Paragogic letters
- personal letter
- polyphonic letter
- Pythagorean letter
- red-letter
- Red-letter day
- Registered letter
- Republic of letters
- roman letters
- runic letter
- scarlet letter
- sea letter
- Ship letter
- short letter
- Small capital letters
- Small letter
- Sunday letter
Superior figure ,Superior letter - Text letter
- Threatening letters
- to the letter
- traveler's letter of credit
- traveller's letter of credit
- upper-case letter
- varsity letter
A power , letter , or warrant , of attorney
- a written authority from one person empowering another to transact business for him.
Webster 1913
air letter
-
noun a letter sent by air mail
air letter; aerogram; aerogramme.
WordNet
airmail letter
-
noun a letter sent by air mail
air letter; aerogram; aerogramme.
WordNet
black letter
-
noun a heavy typeface in use from 15th to 18th centuries
Gothic.
WordNet
Black" let`ter
Definitions
The old English or Gothic letter, in which the Early English manuscripts were written, and the first English books were printed. It was conspicuous for its blackness. See Type .
Webster 1913
black-letter
Black"-let`ter adjective
Definitions
-
Written or printed in black letter; as, a .black-letter manuscript or book -
Given to the study of books in black letter; that is, of old books; out of date. Kemble, a black-letter man! J. Boaden.
-
Of or pertaining to the days in the calendar not marked with red letters as saints' days. Hence: Unlucky; inauspicious.
Webster 1913
block letter
-
noun a plain hand-drawn letter
block capital.
WordNet
Bullantic letters
- Gothic letters used in papal bulls.
Webster 1913
business letter
-
noun a letter dealing with business
WordNet
Canine letter
- the letter r. See
R .
Webster 1913
Canonical letters
- letters of several kinds, formerly given by a dishop to traveling clergymam or laymen, to show that they were entitled to receive the cammunion, and to distinguish them from heretics.
Webster 1913
Capital letter
-
noun one of the large alphabetic characters used as the first letter in writing or printing proper names and sometimes for emphasis; capitals were kept in the upper half of the type case and so became known as upper-case letters"
uppercase; capital letter; majuscule; capital.
- printers once kept the type for capitals and for small letters in separate cases
WordNet
F, lettre capitale (Print.) , a leading or heading letter, used at the beginning of a sentence and as the first letter of certain words, distinguished, for the most part, both by different form and larger size, from the small (lower-case) letters, which form the greater part of common print or writing.
Webster 1913
chain letter
-
noun a letter that is sent successively to several people
WordNet
Circular note or letter
- .
(a) (Com.) See underCredit .(b) (Diplomacy) A letter addressed in identical terms to a number of persons.
Webster 1913
commercial letter of credit
-
noun a letter of credit given to a business concern for commercial purposes
WordNet
cover letter
-
noun a letter sent along with other documents to provide additional information
cover letter.
WordNet
covering letter
-
noun a letter sent along with other documents to provide additional information
cover letter.
WordNet
crank letter
-
noun a hostile (usually anonymous) letter
WordNet
Dead letter
-
noun the state of something that has outlived its relevance
non-issue.
-
noun mail that can neither be delivered nor returned
dead mail.
WordNet
- .
(a) A letter which, after lying for a certain fixed time uncalled for at the post office to which it was directed, is then sent to the general post office to be opened.(b) That which has lost its force or authority; as, the law has become a dead letter.
Webster 1913
Dead letter , Drop letter
- etc. See under
Dead ,Drop , etc.
Webster 1913
Dead-letter office
- a department of the general post office where dead letters are examined and disposed of.
Webster 1913
doctor of humane letters
-
noun an honorary degree in letters
WordNet
Dominical letter
- the letter which, in almanacs, denotes Sunday, or the Lord's day (dies Domini). The first seven letters of the alphabet are used for this purpose, the same letter standing for Sunday during a whole year (except in leap year, when the letter is changed at the end of February). After twenty-eight years the same letters return in the same order. The dominical letters go backwards one day every common year, and two every leap year; e. g., if the dominical letter of a common year be G, F will be the dominical letter for the next year. Called also
Sunday letter . Cf.Solar cycle , underCycle , n.
Webster 1913
Double letter
- .
(a) (Print.) Two letters on one shank; a ligature .(b) A mail requiring double postage.
Webster 1913
Drop letter
- a letter to be delivered from the same office where posted.
Webster 1913
encyclical letter
-
noun a letter from the pope sent to all Roman Catholic bishops throughout the world
encyclical.
WordNet
Excrescent letter
(Philol.) , a letter which has been added to a root;as, the d in alder (AS. alr) is an excrescent letter .
Webster 1913
Extended letter
(Typog.) , a letter, or style of type, having a broader face than is usual for a letter or type of the same height.
Webster 1913
fan letter
-
noun a letter that is a piece of fan mail
WordNet
form letter
-
noun a letter that is printed in multiple copies and mailed to a list of recipients
WordNet
four-letter anglo-saxon word
-
noun any of several short English words (often having 4 letters) generally regarded as obscene or offensive
four-letter Anglo-Saxon word.
WordNet
four-letter word
-
noun any of several short English words (often having 4 letters) generally regarded as obscene or offensive
four-letter Anglo-Saxon word.
WordNet
Inferior letter , Inferior figure
(Print.) , a small letter or figure standing at the bottom of the line (opposed tosuperior letter or figure),as in A .2 , Bn , 2 and n areinferior characters
Webster 1913
investment letter
-
noun a letter of intent saying that a letter security is being bought for investment and not for resale; avoids need for SEC registration
WordNet
letter bomb
-
noun a thin explosive device inside an envelope or package and detonated when opened
parcel bomb; package bomb.
-
verb send an explosive to
- The Unabomber letter bombed a number of individuals and institutions
WordNet
letter bond
-
noun a bond that has not been registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission and cannot be sold to the general public
WordNet
Letter book
- a book in which copies of letters are kept.
Webster 1913
Letter box
-
noun a numbered compartment in a post office where mail is put to be called for
Post-Office box; POB; call box; PO Box.
-
noun public box for deposit of mail
postbox; mailbox.
-
noun a private box for delivery of mail
mailbox.
WordNet
- a box for the reception of letters to be mailed or delivered.
Webster 1913
Letter carrier
-
noun a man who delivers the mail
mail carrier; mailman; postman; carrier.
WordNet
- a person who carries letters; a postman; specif., an officer of the post office who carries letters to the persons to whom they are addressed, and collects letters to be mailed.
Webster 1913
letter case
-
noun case for carrying letters
WordNet
Letter cutter
- one who engraves letters or letter punches.
Webster 1913
Letter lock
- a lock that can not be opened when fastened, unless certain movable lettered rings or disks forming a part of in are in such a position (indicated by a particular combination of the letters) as to permit the bolt to be withdrawn.
Webster 1913
Letter of attorney , Letter of credit
- etc. See under
Attorney ,Credit , etc.
Webster 1913
letter of credit
-
noun a document issued by a bank that guarantees the payment of a customer's draft; substitutes the bank's credit for the customer's credit
WordNet
letter of intent
-
noun any letter expressing an intention to take (or forgo) some action
WordNet
letter of jeremiah
-
noun an Apocryphal book consisting of a letter ascribed to Jeremiah to the Jews in exile in Babylon warning them against idolatry
Epistle of Jeremiah.
WordNet
Letter of license
- a paper by which creditors extend a debtor's time for paying his debts.
Webster 1913
letter of mark and reprisal
-
noun a license to a private citizen to seize property of another nation
letter of mark and reprisal; letter of marque.
WordNet
letter of marque
-
noun a license to a private citizen to seize property of another nation
letter of mark and reprisal; letter of marque.
WordNet
letter of the alphabet
-
noun the conventional characters of the alphabet used to represent speech
alphabetic character; letter.
- his grandmother taught him his letters
WordNet
letter opener
-
noun dull knife used to cut open the envelopes in which letters are mailed or to slit uncut pages of books
paperknife; paper knife.
WordNet
Letter paper
-
noun writing paper for use in writing correspondence
-
noun paper cut to an appropriate size for writing letters; usually with matching envelopes
stationery.
WordNet
- paper for writing letters on; especially, a size of paper intermediate between note paper and foolscap. See
Paper .
Webster 1913
Letter punch
- a steel punch with a letter engraved on the end, used in making the matrices for type.
Webster 1913
letter security
-
noun a stock or bond that is not registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission and cannot be sold in the public market
WordNet
letter stock
-
noun stock that has not been registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission and cannot be sold to the general public
WordNet
letter telegram
-
noun a cheaper form of telegram that is sent abroad for delivery the next day
WordNet
Letter writer
-
noun someone who communicates by means of letters
correspondent.
WordNet
- .
(a) One who writes letters.(b) A machine for copying letters .(c) A book giving directions and forms for the writing of letters.
Webster 1913
letter-perfect
-
adjective satellite correct to the last detail; especially being in or following the exact words
word-perfect.
- a letter-perfect rendition of the soliloquy
- she was word-perfect in her part
WordNet
Letter-sheet envelope
- a stamped sheet of letter paper issued by the government, prepared to be folded and sealed for transmission by mail without an envelope.
Webster 1913
Letters close ∨ clause
(Eng. Law.) , letters or writs directed to particular persons for particular purposes, and hence closed or sealed on the outside; distinguished from letters patent. Burrill.
Webster 1913
Letters of administration
-
noun legal document naming someone to administer an estate when no executor has been named
WordNet
(Law) , the instrument by which an administrator or administratrix is authorized to administer the goods and estate of a deceased person.
Webster 1913
letters of marque
-
noun a license to a private citizen to seize property of another nation
letter of mark and reprisal; letter of marque.
WordNet
Letters of orders
(Eccl.) , a document duly signed and sealed, by which a bishop makes it known that he has regularly ordained a certain person as priest, deacon, etc.
Webster 1913
letters patent
-
noun an official document granting a right or privilege
patent.
WordNet
Letters patent , overt , ∨ open
(Eng. Law) , a writing executed and sealed, by which power and authority are granted to a person to do some act, or enjoy some right;as, .letters patent under the seal of England
Webster 1913
Letters testamentary
-
noun a legal document from a probate court or court officer informing you of your appointment as executor of a will and empowering you to discharge those responsibilities
WordNet
(Law) , an instrument granted by the proper officer to an executor after probate of a will, authorizing him to act as executor.
Webster 1913
Love letter
-
noun a personal letter to a loved one expressing affection
billet doux.
WordNet
- a letter of courtship. Shak.
Webster 1913
lower-case letter
-
noun the characters that were once kept in bottom half of a compositor's type case
minuscule; lowercase; lower-case letter.
WordNet
man of letters
-
noun a man devoted to literary or scholarly activities
WordNet
market letter
-
noun a newsletter written by an analyst of the stock market and sold to subscribers
WordNet
Movable letter
(Heb. Gram.) , a letter that is pronounced, as opposed to one that is quiescent.
Webster 1913
news-letter
News"-let`ter noun
Definitions
A circular letter, written or printed for the purpose of disseminating news. This was the name given to the earliest English newspapers.
Webster 1913
night letter
-
noun a cheaper form of telegram sent for delivery the next day
WordNet
Nundinal letter
- among the Romans, one of the first eight letters of the alphabet, which were repeated successively from the first to the last day of the year. One of these always expressed the market day, which returned every nine days (every eight days by our reckoning).
Webster 1913
open letter
-
noun a letter of protest; addressed to one person but intended for the general public
WordNet
Paragogic letters
- in the Semitic languages, letters which are added to the ordinary forms of words, to express additional emphasis, or some change in the sense.
Webster 1913
personal letter
-
noun a letter dealing with personal affairs
WordNet
polyphonic letter
-
noun a letter that has two or more pronunciations
polyphone.
- `c' is a polyphone because it is pronounced like `k' in `car' but like `s' in `cell'
WordNet
Pythagorean letter
- . See
Y.
Webster 1913
red-letter
-
adjective satellite memorable for being a special occasion
- on red-letter nights a large gathering greeted the celebrity
WordNet
Red"-let`ter adjective
Definitions
Of or pertaining to a red letter; marked by red letters.
Webster 1913
Red-letter day
-
noun a memorably happy or noteworthy day (from the custom of marking holy days in red on church calendars)
WordNet
- a day that is fortunate or auspicious; so called in allusion to the custom of marking holy days, or saints' days, in the old calendars with red letters.
Webster 1913
Registered letter
- a letter, the address of which is, on payment of a special fee, registered in the post office and the transmission and delivery of which are attended to with particular care.
Webster 1913
Republic of letters
- The collective body of literary or learned men.
Webster 1913
roman letters
-
noun a typeface used in ancient Roman inscriptions
roman type; roman print; roman.
WordNet
runic letter
-
noun any character from an ancient Germanic alphabet used in Scandinavia from the 3rd century to the Middle Ages
rune.
- each rune had its own magical significance
WordNet
scarlet letter
-
noun the letter A in red; Puritans required adulterers to wear it
WordNet
sea letter
Sea" let"ter
Definitions
(Mar. Law.) The customary certificate of national character which neutral merchant vessels are bound to carry in time of war; a passport for a vessel and cargo.
Webster 1913
Ship letter
- a letter conveyed by a ship not a mail packet.
Webster 1913
short letter
-
noun a short personal letter
note; line; billet.
- drop me a line when you get there
WordNet
Small capital letters
- have the form of capital letters and height of the body of the lower-case letters.
Webster 1913
Small letter
-
noun the characters that were once kept in bottom half of a compositor's type case
minuscule; lowercase; lower-case letter.
WordNet
- .
(Print.) , a lower-case letter. SeeLower-case , andCapital letter , underCapital , a.
Webster 1913
Sunday letter
- . See
Dominical letter , underDominical .
Webster 1913
Superior figure , Superior letter
(Print.) , a figure or letter printed above the line, as a reference to a note or an index of a power, etc;as, in x Cf.2 + yn , 2 is asuperior figure , n asuperior letter Inferior figure , underInferior .= superscripted number, letter
Webster 1913
Text letter
- a large or capital letter. Obs.
Webster 1913
Threatening letters
(Law) , letters containing threats, especially those designed to extort money, or to obtain other property, by menaces; blackmailing letters.
Webster 1913
to the letter
-
adverb in every detail
to a T; just right; to perfection.
- the new house suited them to a T
WordNet
traveler's letter of credit
-
noun a letter of credit given to a traveler
traveler's letter of credit.
WordNet
traveller's letter of credit
-
noun a letter of credit given to a traveler
traveler's letter of credit.
WordNet
upper-case letter
-
noun one of the large alphabetic characters used as the first letter in writing or printing proper names and sometimes for emphasis; capitals were kept in the upper half of the type case and so became known as upper-case letters"
uppercase; capital letter; majuscule; capital.
- printers once kept the type for capitals and for small letters in separate cases
WordNet
varsity letter
-
noun an award earned by participation in a school sport
letter.
- he won letters in three sports