snail mail
noun Facetious.
physical delivery of mail, as contrasted with email.
the letters, packages, etc., delivered this way.
Also called
s-mail.
Origin of snail mail
First recorded in 1980–85
Words nearby snail mail
snail bore,
snail cam,
snail darter,
snail fever,
snail kite,
snail mail,
snail's pace,
snail-paced,
snailfish,
snailflower,
snake
British Dictionary definitions for snail mail
snail mail
/ informal /
noun
the conventional postal system, as opposed to electronic mail
verb snail-mail
(tr)
to send by the conventional postal system, rather than by electronic mail
Word Origin for snail mail
C20: so named because of the relative slowness of the conventional postal system
Cultural definitions for snail mail
snail mail
A term used to denote mail sent via the traditional postal service, usually to contrast that process to e-mail.
Idioms and Phrases with snail mail
snail mail
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]