snail mail

noun

Facetious.

1. physical delivery of mail, as contrasted with email.
2. the letters, packages, etc., delivered this way.

snail mail

noun

1. the conventional postal system, as opposed to electronic mail

verb

1. tr to send by the conventional postal system, rather than by electronic mail

snail mail

1. A term used to denote mail sent via the traditional postal service, usually to contrast that process to e-mail .

Word History and Origins

Origin of snail mail¹

First recorded in 1980–85

Word History and Origins

Origin of snail mail¹

C20: so named because of the relative slowness of the conventional postal system

Idioms and Phrases

Ordinary postal service, as opposed to electronic communications. For example, He hasn't taken to his computer so he's still using snail mail . This slangy idiom, alluding to the alleged slowness of the snail, caught on at least partly for its rhyme. [1980s]

Example Sentences

Growing up in the '90s, I was always a little captivated by the magic of snail mail — the thrill of finding a fun letter nestled between the usual stack of bills, catalogs and junk.

From Salon

Our snail mail hasn’t been opened since Tuesday.

From Los Angeles Times

What she did offer me was complete support — call, text, write, snail mail, whatever; if I need her, she will be available.

From Los Angeles Times

If you choose to write a check, you can hand it to the recipient to circumvent the risks of snail mail.

From New York Times

My dad's not on the computer, so he's all snail mail, and he would call me, he says, "I just got this amazing letter," week after week after week.

From Salon