snail mail

noun

, Facetious.

1. physical delivery of mail, as contrasted with email.
2. the letters, packages, etc., delivered this way.

snail mail

noun

1. the conventional postal system, as opposed to electronic mail

verb

1. tr to send by the conventional postal system, rather than by electronic mail

snail mail

1. A term used to denote mail sent via the traditional postal service, usually to contrast that process to e-mail .

Word History and Origins

Origin of snail mail¹

First recorded in 1980–85

Word History and Origins

Origin of snail mail¹

C20: so named because of the relative slowness of the conventional postal system

Idioms and Phrases

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]

Example Sentences

When school districts reach out to families, they often do so through text messages, robocalls, emails, Facebook posts and snail mail.

From Washington Post

Email promised to improve on the failings of phones, fax machines, and snail mail when it rose to prominence in the 1990s.

From Quartz

This weekend, I sent out a snail mail newsletter about voting, wrote to my council member about a local issue, and sent a few letters to Kenosha.

From MIT Technology Review

Whether you receive your stimulus payment via direct deposit or as a paper check through snail mail, the IRS will also send you a letter in the mail 15 days later letting you know that the payment was sent.

From Time