Poison pen letter

Poison pen letter

A poison pen letter is a letter or note containing unpleasant, abusive or malicious statements or accusations about the recipient or a third party. It is usually sent anonymously. Poison pen letters are usually composed and sent to upset the recipient. They were an outlet for the quick temper of Beethoven, who wrote several, while one figures in the life of Francis Bacon.

With the advent of e-mail and the general decline in letter writing, poison pen letters have become something of a rarity.

ee also

* hate mail
* chain letter
* Stalking


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Look at other dictionaries:

  • poison pen letter — UK US noun [countable] [singular poison pen letter plural poison pen letters] a cruel or offensive letter that has not been signed Thesaurus: letters and types of letterhyponym …   Useful english dictionary

  • poison-pen letter — poison pen letters N COUNT A poison pen letter is an unpleasant unsigned letter which is sent in order to upset someone or to cause trouble …   English dictionary

  • poison-pen letter — n a letter that is not signed and that says bad things about the person it has been sent to …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • poison pen letter — poison pen ,letter noun count a cruel or offensive letter that has not been signed …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

  • poison pen letter — ► NOUN ▪ an anonymous letter that is libellous or abusive …   English terms dictionary

  • poison pen letter — UK / US noun [countable] Word forms poison pen letter : singular poison pen letter plural poison pen letters a cruel or offensive letter that has not been signed …   English dictionary

  • poison-pen letter — noun A missive which is malicious, insulting, and/or defamatory toward a person, organization, or point of view, especially one which is unsigned. Miss Theresa Samuels . . . is accused by the Post Office authorities of sending scurrilous letters… …   Wiktionary

  • poison pen letter — noun an anonymous letter that is libellous, abusive, or malicious …   English new terms dictionary

  • poison-pen letter — noun (C) a letter that is not signed and that says nasty and unpleasant things about the person it has been sent to …   Longman dictionary of contemporary English

  • poison-pen letter — …   Useful english dictionary

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