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round file

British  

noun

  1. a wastepaper basket

"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

verb

  1. (tr) to throw into a wastepaper basket; discard; reject

"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

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.

“I thought it was going in the round file,” she said.

From Los Angeles Times

We told Ms. Hudgins this route was a waste of taxpayer money, but she reportedly filed our petition “in the round file.”

From Washington Post

Otherwise, typical junk mail can go into the round file as usual.

From US News

A round file should always be a little smaller at its greatest diameter than the hole in the work.

From Project Gutenberg

You’ll want the little round file for that holler in her bow.

From Project Gutenberg