snail mail

snail mail

Paper mail sent through the postal service (as opposed to email). Snails are thought of as very slow. A: "Did we get any exciting snail mail today?" B: "Nah, just some bills." Wait, you sent the invitations by snail mail? Why didn't you just do e-vites?
See also: mail, snail
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

snail mail

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]
See also: mail, snail
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.

ˈsnail mail

(informal, humorous) used especially by people who use email on computers to describe the system of sending letters by ordinary mail: I’d love to hear from you, either by email or snail mail.
See also: mail, snail
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary

snail-mail

n. post office mail; regular mail as opposed to electronic mail. (Refers to the slowness of regular mail in comparison to electronic mail or faxes.) There are lots of color pictures in the article, so I will send you the original by snail-mail.
McGraw-Hill's Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions
See also:
  • snail-mail
  • by return mail and by return post
  • mail
  • post
  • post (something) to (one)
  • post to
  • posting
  • by return mail
  • mail from some place
  • special delivery
References in periodicals archive
Bishop Harvey agreed that travel costs made an electoral synod impractical, but suggested that the election could have been held using traditional "snail mail" -- with a double envelope system so that ballots could still remain secret in their inner envelope.
E-mails keep us connected, and snail mail keeps us surprised.
While the region is in the midst of a strategic plan and labour market review, Nychuk is out front promoting the area to a specifically targeted list of about 500 international companies with a direct "snail mail" and electronic mail campaign of "teaser" flyers.
Please take a moment to snail mail, e-mail, or fax me with your opinions and comments.
If you want to get your marketing message across, old-fashioned snail mail might be your best bet, according to the findings of a survey conducted by Pitney Bowes.
Glimpses of the future pop up daily in the increasing number of places where we see what's waiting on web sites replicated in snail mail, on television and in the signage of 21st-century commerce.
Post office bigwigs must have finally heard one "snail mail" crack too many.
We have attempted to expand this base by several methods, including e-mail, snail mail, telephone survey, and word-of-mouth.
All the business people I know read their e-mail and wishes their snail mail would disappear.
Prospective tenants and brokerage firms are inundated with traditional direct mailings -- referred to as "snail mail" in the high-tech world -- as firms attempt to distinguish themselves and build a rapport.
Also, try for a phone number (or an e-mail or snail mail address for your mailing list) and try to make an appointment to get the caller into your store.
Shareholder Direct Dialog from Direct Report in Maynard, Mass., is an interactive communications service for investor relations, It can develop and maintain a complete IR center on your company's web site; broadcast news by e-mail, fax, webcast, audio conference calling and snail mail; and set up a toll-free phone number to provide stock quotes, recorded news, earnings information and more.
Although it's cheaper and faster than snail mail and virtually all executives have an email address, it's rarely used.
"We" - our two-person editorial page staff - were having enough trouble getting good old "snail mail" letters into the paper in a timely matter.
That's why computer users call letters mailed through the post office "snail mail."