dead letter

Noun

 * 1) An item of mail that cannot be delivered to its intended recipient; after some time it is returned to the sender, or destroyed.
 * 2) A law or other measure that is no longer enforced.
 * 3) * 1787, Alexander Hamilton, Federalist Papers, Federalist no. 22:
 * Laws are a dead letter, without courts to expound and define their true meaning and operation.
 * 1) * 1905, Basil Hall Chamberlain, Things Japanese, Railways
 * The most formidable obstacle in the way of Japanese railway enterprise is that conflicting interests and local intrigues are apt to render the law of expropriation for public benefit little more than a dead letter.
 * 1)  Anything that has lost its authority or influence despite still being in existence or formally in force.
 * 1)  Anything that has lost its authority or influence despite still being in existence or formally in force.
 * 1)  Anything that has lost its authority or influence despite still being in existence or formally in force.

Derived terms

 * dead letter office

Translations

 * Chinese:
 * Mandarin: 瞎信, ,
 * Danish:
 * Dutch:
 * Finnish: perille toimittamaton kirje
 * French: n'habite pas à l'adresse indiquée


 * Chinese:
 * Mandarin:
 * Danish:
 * Dutch:
 * Finnish:
 * French:
 * Portuguese: letra morta
 * Spanish: letra muerta, papel mojado