dead letter

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dead letter

1. a piece of mail that is returned to the post office as both undeliverable and unreturnable. At the end of the year, the post office usually has bushels of dead letters. Some of the dead letters are opened to see if there is an address inside.

2. an issue, law, or matter that is no longer important or that no longer has force or power. His point about the need for education reform is a dead letter. It is being done now. This point of law is a dead letter since the last Supreme Court ruling on this matter.

See also: dead, letter

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Without the SUBSTANCE of this power, the whole Constitution would be a dead letter. Federalist Papers Authored by James Madison by Madison, James View in context The Northwest Company were now in complete occupation of the Columbia River, and its chief tributary streams, holding the posts which he had established, and carrying on a trade throughout the neighboring region, in defiance of the prohibitory law of Congress, which, in effect, was a dead letter beyond the mountains. Astoria or Anecdotes of an enterprise beyond the Rocky Mountains by Irving, Washington View in context Laws are a dead letter without courts to expound and define their true meaning and operation. Federalist Papers Authored by Alexander Hamilton by Hamilton, Alexander View in context			daylight robbery days days are numbered days on end days running de facto de rigeur de trop dead dead ahead dead and buried dead and gone dead as a dodo dead as a doornail dead broke dead cat on the line dead center dead certain dead drunk dead duck dead easy dead from the neck up dead giveaway dead in or an animal's tracks dead in the water dead letter dead loss dead meat Dead men tell no tales dead of winter dead on dead on arrival dead on feet dead serious dead set against dead to rights dead to the world dead wood dead wrong deaden with deadly deadly dull deaf deaf and dumb deaf as a post deal deal a death blow deal in deal into deal out deal out of			dead in or an animal's tracks Dead in Shell Dead in the Bed dead in the water dead in the water dead in the water dead in the water dead in the water dead in the water Dead inside (concept) Dead inside (concept) Dead Jackie Susann Quarterly Dead Journal Dead Kennedys Dead key Dead keys Dead Kid Harvester Dead Kitten Crew dead knot dead language Dead Languages Dead Last But Finished dead leaf Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground Dead leg Dead leg Dead leg Dead leg dead legs dead legs dead letter Dead letter box Dead letter box Dead letter boxes Dead letter boxes Dead letter mail Dead letter office Dead Letter Queue Dead Letter Queue Handler Dead Letters Dead Letters Dead Letters Dead level Dead level dead lift dead lift dead lift dead lifts Dead Like Me Dead Like Me Online Dead line dead line-live bus Dead link Dead link dead load dead load dead load dead load Dead loads Dead loads Dead loads

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