drop letter

noun

a letter that is mailed to a local address at a post office without city delivery or a rural delivery service and must be picked up by the addressee.

Origin of drop letter

An Americanism dating back to 1835–45

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

It must be a drop letter, as no mail has been received this morning.'
The Comstock Club | Charles Carroll Goodwin
When in 1875 delivery by letter-carrier was introduced in certain towns, the drop-letter rate was not disturbed.
The Development of Rates of Postage | A. D. Smith
"Here's a drop letter for you, Jack," remarked Gif, who was distributing some of the mail.
The Rover Boys on Snowshoe Island | Edward Stratemeyer
One morning Paul found a drop-letter in the mail which greeted him daily.
The Spinner's Book of Fiction | Various
The drop letter rate of postage will remain the same as now.
History of the Postage Stamps of the United States of America | John Kerr Tiffany

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