over the transom
1
9.9
- idiom
- Jargon
:
sin previo aviso
- Some I assigned, but most arrived over the transom (and by "snail mail").
- come over the transom
- throw over the transom
Examples
-
I distribute two handouts, the first a packet of query letters and the second a packet of first pages from actual manuscripts received over the transom.
Academic text (2011) -
I knew I needed a major job, not just the nickel-and-dime stuff that had come over the transom the last few days.
Fiction book (1990) -
Do you honestly think they would have read the thing if it just came in over the transom?
-
We don't accept scripts over the transom because of lawsuits; we're not like book publishers.
Fiction book (1990) -
Thomas Nelson, Zondervan, and Waterbrook Multnomah are three larger houses that now prefer to work with an established list of agents rather than accept books over the transom.
Academic text (2009) -
Having thus far thoroughly trashed the value of standardized questionnaires, it is important to add that it would be a mistake to use only open-ended questionnaires or, even worse, informal methods of evaluation such as "letters over the transom," off-hand comments by students, or general gossip.
Academic text (1993) -
Many writers hope their work will come in over the transom and be noticed by publishers.
-
The best submissions often arrive over the transom, catching us by surprise with their originality.
-
Unexpected proposals can come over the transom, leading to exciting new partnerships.
Synonyms
43
4.5
Coming without telling anyone first
32
6.7
Not asked for but given anyway
How Expected
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase evokes a literal image of something coming 'over' a 'transom' (the small window above a door), so there is a visible compositional link to an unexpected arrival; however, the specific idiomatic meaning—unsolicited manuscript/idea submission used in publishing/journalistic contexts—is specialized and not fully predictable from the parts. Because the physical image gives a clue but the conventionalized professional sense requires exposure, this is best classified as semi-transparent.
Etymology
The phrase over the transom comes from old offices with a small window above the door called a transom. People would drop papers over that little window without asking, so the phrase now means 'sent without asking' or 'received unexpectedly'.