lettermann.
/ˈlɛtəmən/, U.S. /ˈlɛdərmən/ 1. A postman; a letter carrier. Now rare.
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society > communication > correspondence > postal services > person or vehicle that carries letters or mail > [noun] > person
letter bearera1400
breveterc1440
post1507
letter carrier1552
post boy1588
ordinary1592
packet carrier1606
postie1611
woman-posta1616
postwoman1683
letterman1707
postman1758
packeteer1784
letter boy1794
carrier1798
delivery officer1839
post-girl1850
mailman1881
packeter1893
postlady1975
1707 E. Ward Wooden World Dissected 20 After his Dogs are serv'd, he distributes the Remains of his loving Kindness on some snotty-nos'd Letter-man.
1843 Boston Courier 24 July 4/1 ‘Open it, can't you?’ said the letter man.
1862 Mrs. H. Wood Channings II. 235 A pretty time o' day this is to deliver the letters!.. You letter-men want looking up.
1897 Strand Mag. Dec. 689/2 The New York letterman who picked it out of the box took such a long time trying to find Santa's address in the directory, that Santa did not get the letter until after he had started on his trip.
1904 L. L. Hope Bobbsey Twins xxx. 172 The letter man came that afternoon, just as they arrived home from school.
1979 M. Jastrow Time to Remember xiii. 140 ‘The letter man probably has more mail than usual,’ she said, half to herself, tapping the table with irritated fingers.
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society > trade and finance > fees and taxes > grants and allowances > [noun] > payment in consideration of past service > pensioner
stipendiaryc1584
outpensioner1706
pensioner1721
letterman1724
in-pensioner1761
pensionnaire1897
old age pensioner1909
1724 London Gaz. No. 6230/2 All the Out-Pensioners (as well Letter-men as others) belonging to the said Hospital [sc. Chelsea].
?c1800 J. Moore in A. H. Craufurd Gen. Craufurd & Light Div. (1891) iii. 34 An increase in the pay and in the number of letter men.
3. North American. A sportsperson who has been awarded a letter (letter n.1 3b).
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society > leisure > sport > player or sportsperson > [noun] > other players
server1585
free agent1649
benchwarmer1662
puncher1681
sticker1779
hard hitter1790
hitter1813
go-devil1835
beneficiaire1841
colt1846
heavyweight1857
stayer1862
left-hander1864
attack1869
cap1879
international1882
roadman1886
big leaguer1887
homester1887
sand lotter1887
badger1890
internationalist1892
repeater1893
anchorman1895
grandstander1896
stylist1897
homebrew1903
letterman1905
toss-loser1906
fouler1908
rookie1908
mudder1912
sharpshooter1912
pro-amateur1919
receiver1919
southpaw1925
freestyler1927
hotshot1927
active1931
all-timer1936
iceman1936
wild card1940
scrambler1954
rounder1955
franchise1957
call-up1960
trialist1960
non-import1964
sandbagger1965
rebel1982
wide-body1986
1905 Amer. Gymnasia Oct. 33/2 Michigan started the season with eleven ‘M’ men; Chicago and Wisconsin had each seven letter men.
1926 Chicago Tribune 19 Sept. 5/4 The letter men in the line are Wolf and Neff, guards, and Rouse, center.
1948 B. Griffith Amer. Me i. ii. 47 The girls wore their own style of dress, consisting of a long finger-tip coat or letterman's sweater, draped slacks..and huaraches or ‘Zombie’ slippers.
1974 Spartanburg (S. Carolina) Herald-Jrnl. 21 Apr. B1/1 Now he is well on the way to becoming Spartanburg High School's first four-sport letterman in at least seven years.
2008 T. Gallagher Falcon Fever v. 72 Mac was an athlete at school, though you would never have known it. He didn't wear a letterman's jacket like all the other jocks.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, September 2011; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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