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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

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

Mr. Godfrey always treated him kindly, and had called upon him again that very morning to assist him in translating a French letter, complimenting him, at the same time, upon his scholarship.

From Try and Trust by Alger, Horatio

Let all dissolve, and spread over French letter paper, with a brush or piece of sponge.

From American Hand Book of the Daguerreotype by Humphrey, S. D. (Samuel Dwight)

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

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