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dead letter
(redirected from Dead Letters)

   Also found in: Legal, Idioms, Encyclopedia, Wikipedia 0.03 sec.
dead letter
n.
1. An unclaimed or undelivered letter that after a period of time is destroyed or returned to the sender by the postal service.
2. A law, directive, or factor still formally in effect but no longer valid or enforced.

dead letter
n
1. (Electronics & Computer Science / Communications & Information) a letter that cannot be delivered or returned because it lacks adequate directions
2. (Law) a law or ordinance that is no longer enforced but has not been formally repealed
3. Informal anything considered no longer worthy of consideration
ThesaurusLegend:  Synonyms Related Words Antonyms
Noun1.dead letter - the state of something that has outlived its relevance
state - the way something is with respect to its main attributes; "the current state of knowledge"; "his state of health"; "in a weak financial state"
2.dead letter - mail that can neither be delivered nor returned
letter, missive - a written message addressed to a person or organization; "mailed an indignant letter to the editor"


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? Mentioned in ? References in periodicals archive
 
If the State Legislature does not act on the Governor's budget by the next fiscal year, the bills in the Governor's budget become dead letters.
In the last half-century, that enthusiasm has dulled at the edges, and Rousseau, like some great parcel in the Dead Letters Office of art history, waits to be reclaimed.
 
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