special delivery
14
3.4
- noun
- /ˈspɛʃəl dɪˈlɪvəri/
:
entrega urgente
- She paid extra for a special delivery to ensure her birthday gift reached him on time.
- special delivery package
- special delivery letter
- got a special delivery
Ah, special delivery for Jamie Genevieve.
- Ah, special delivery for Jamie Genevieve.
Examples
-
The postman arrived with a special delivery that had been requested earlier in the day.
-
I was excited to receive a special delivery that promised to arrive within 24 hours.
-
Somebody sent me a tape special delivery.
-
We have a special delivery for the little lady.
-
I have a special delivery for you -
-
Wally, this special delivery came for you today.
-
I got a special delivery for the supervisor.
-
Special delivery letter for you, sir.
Fiction book (1997) -
Special delivery for a Mr. Batman.
-
Got a special delivery for Miss Garcia.
Synonyms
1
2.8
A service that sends letters and packages faster than regular post
How Fast
12
3.5
14
3.4
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'a prioritized or non-ordinary delivery (e.g., faster or given priority)' is directly and transparently derived from combining 'special' (not ordinary/important) with 'delivery' (the act of delivering). This adjective+noun compositional pattern commonly signals a service variant in many languages, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents would readily infer the postal-service sense.
Etymology
Special delivery comes from postal services that used a separate, faster route or a special messenger to take urgent mail straight to its address. So, 'special delivery' means mail sent to arrive more quickly than usual, often 'for an extra fee'.