chain letter
11
4.8
- noun
- /ʧeɪn ˈlɛtər/
:
carta en cadena
- Do not forward chain letters.
- send a chain letter
- forward this chain letter
- mail a chain letter
But what I've had it with is like chain letters on social media.
- But what I've had it with is like chain letters on social media.
Examples
-
Father McGovern devoted part of his sermon last Sunday to chain letters.
Fiction book (1990) -
Rather, send photo chain letters.
Academic text (1991) -
I do not like chain letters or chain blogs that lay obligations on us.
Blog text (21) -
Aren't chain letters illegal?
Blog text (19) -
Chain letters and sympathy messages are usually false, so do not forward them to colleagues and friends, and be aware that some chain letters are dangerous because they instruct you to delete files on your computer, which you should never do without first checking with an expert.
Academic text (2006) -
Package ten or so photos of yourself in your new surroundings, include a short note and a list of names and addresses of friends to receive the package, and mail it off—a la a chain letter—with instructions to send the package to the next name on the list.
Academic text (1991) -
The email instructed me to send the chain letter to five friends to avoid bad luck.
-
Many people recognize a chain letter as just an old-fashioned way to spread rumors.
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Receiving a chain letter often makes people feel compelled to send it on to others.
Synonyms
1
3.5
An email that asks you to forward it to many people, often with threats or promises
How Harmful
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'a letter circulated among recipients' is directly derivable from combining 'chain' (a series of linked items) with 'letter' (a message): it denotes a message that is passed along in a chain. This noun–noun compositional pattern is common cross-linguistically and follows normal English compounding, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents will likely infer the MWE's meaning.
Etymology
Chain letter comes from the image of a letter that is copied and passed from person to person like links in a chain. That's why it now means a message you are asked to 'send copies' to others, often as part of a 'scam' or 'hoax'.