mailcatcher

[ meyl-kach-er ]

/ ˈmeɪlˌkætʃ ər /

a device on a mail car that, while the train is moving, picks up mailbags suspended beside the track.

QUIZZES

Can You Ace This Quiz About “Compliment” vs. “Complement”?

Take this quiz to see if you really know the difference between “compliment” and “complement"!

Question 1 of 11

“Compliment” and “complement” had a shared meaning a long time ago, but today they are no longer interchangeable.

An Americanism dating back to 1870–75; mail¹ + catcher