singing telegram

British

noun

a greetings service in which a person is employed to present greetings by singing to the person celebrating

"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.

In 1933, the first singing telegram was introduced by the Postal Telegram Co. in New York.

From Washington Times • Feb. 10, 2021

So this isn’t one “stupid” act, it’s a singing telegram from your maturity and integrity centers, begging for your attention.

From Washington Post • Dec. 6, 2020

In the season premiere the Guy finds a lost dog and helps a singing telegram performer find some relief.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 6, 2020

There was one occasion actually where somebody managed to come to one of our concerts and get into the dressing room under the auspices of being a singing telegram.

From Fox News • Sep. 1, 2019

But Tucker, who rose to country stardom in the early 1970s, needed one more thing: a drag queen available on short notice to dress up as her and deliver a singing telegram.

From New York Times • Aug. 19, 2019

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023