Snail mail or
smail (from snail + mail) is a
dysphemisticIn language, dysphemism , malphemism , and cacophemism refer to the usage of an intentionally harsh word or expression instead of a polite one; they are rough opposites of euphemism...
retronymA retronym is a new name for an object or concept to differentiate the original form or version of it from a more recent form or version. The original name is most often augmented with an adjective to account for later developments of the object or concept itself...
— named after the
snailThe word snail is a common name for almost all members of the molluscan class Gastropoda that have coiled shells in the adult stage. When the word snail is used in a general sense, it includes sea snails, land snails and freshwater snails. Snails lacking a shell or having only a very small one are...
with its slow
speedSpeed is the rate of motion, or equivalently the rate of change of distance.Speed is a scalar quantity with dimensions length/time; the equivalent vector quantity to speed is velocity. Speed is measured in the same physical units of measurement as velocity, but does not contain the element of...
— used to refer to letters and missives carried by conventional
postal delivery servicesMail, or post, is a method for transmitting information and tangible objects, wherein written documents, typically enclosed in envelopes and also small packages are delivered to destinations around the world. Anything sent through the postal system is called mail or post.In principle, a postal...
. The phrase refers to the lag-time between dispatch of a letter and its receipt, versus the virtually instantaneous dispatch and delivery of its electronic equivalent,
e-mailElectronic mail, often abbreviated as email or e-mail, is a method of exchanging digital messages, designed primarily for human use...
. It is also known, more neutrally, as
paper mail,
postal mail,
land mail, or simply
mailMail, or post, is a method for transmitting information and tangible objects, wherein written documents, typically enclosed in envelopes and also small packages are delivered to destinations around the world. Anything sent through the postal system is called mail or post.In principle, a postal...
.
Snail mail is also a term used in reference to
penpallingPen pals are people who regularly write to each other, particularly via postal mail.-Purposes:A penpal relationship is often used to practice reading and writing in a foreign language, to improve literacy, to learn more about other countries and life-styles, and to make friendships...
. Snail mail penpals are those penpals that communicate with one another through the postal system, rather than on the internet which is becoming the more common medium.
Some online groups also use paper mail through regular gift or craft hot topics. In some countries, services are available to print and deliver emails to those unable to receive email, like people with no computers or internet access.
This term was used at least as early as 1981 in the animated feature
Strawberry Shortcake in Big Apple CityStrawberry Shortcake in Big Apple City is an animated television special from 1981, made by Romeo Muller and Fred Wolf. This is the second to feature the American Greetings character, Strawberry Shortcake.-Synopsis:...
, but not in the above sense contrasted with electronic mail, but rather as a rhyming joke to describe mail being delivered by an actual snail. Strawberry receives her letter three weeks late because, as the snail character admits, "Snail mail, she is slow".
The term was used in the 1840's to contrast the already operating postal mail with the new instantaneous telegraph. The Philadelphia
North American stated "The markets will no longer be dependent upon snail paced mails".
An earlier use of this version of the term is attributed to the author
Arnold LobelArnold Stark Lobel was a popular American author of children's books. Among his most popular books are those of the Frog and Toad series, and Mouse Soup, which won the Garden State Children's Book Award from the New Jersey Library Association.Lobel won the 1981 Caldecott Medal for his book...
in his story titled "The Letter" in the 1970 book titled, "Frog and Toad are Friends" in which Frog gave a letter to Snail to be delivered to Toad which took Snail four days to deliver.
External links
- A documented appearance of the term "snail mail" on USENET dated 1982, on Google Groups
Google Groups is a service from Google that supports discussion groups, including many Usenet newsgroups, based on common interests. Membership in Google Groups is free of charge and many groups are anonymous. Users can find discussion groups related to their interests and participate in threaded...