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Synonyms

French letter

American  

noun

Older Slang.
  1. a condom.


French letter British  

noun

  1. a slang term for condom

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of French letter

First recorded in 1855–60

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The precise wording of the French letter isn't the issue.

From Time Magazine Archive

There was the receipt for a box addressed to Count Ladislas Kasincsky, and I temporarily added his family name to the writer of the French letter, assuming her to be his wife.

From Beauty and the Beast, and Tales of Home by Taylor, Bayard

This evening I was late writing a French letter by my Lord's order to Monsieur Wragh, Ambassador de Denmarke à la Haye, which my Lord signed in bed. 23d.

From The Great Events by Famous Historians, Volume 11 by Johnson, Rossiter

In silence, and with a face of contemptuous disgust, Mr. Gilbert takes up the French letter, points to a column, and watches him.

From Norine's Revenge; Sir Noel's Heir by Fleming, May Agnes

She proved to be La Sybille, a French letter of marque, carrying eight guns, twenty-five men, and bound for the French West India Islands with a valuable cargo.

From True Blue by Kingston, William Henry Giles

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