postbagn.
/ˈpəʊs(t)baɡ/, U.S. /ˈpoʊs(t)ˌbæɡ/ A large sack or bag for carrying letters, parcels, etc., a mailbag. Also: a quantity of mail delivered to a particular person or organization. Also in extended use.
ΘΚΠ
society > communication > correspondence > postal services > equipment for sending or delivering mail > [noun] > mail-bag
letter baga1655
bag1702
postbag1706
mailbag1812
pouch1833
mail pouch1843
mail sack1869
society > communication > correspondence > letter > mail > [noun] > person's batch of
maila1844
postbag1898
1706 C. Gildon Post-boy robb'd of his Mail (ed. 2) ii. lxxvi. 460 Nor must any letter be suffer'd to be put into the Post-Bag, unless they approve it.
1788 Lady E. Butler Jrnl. 8 Jan. in E. M. Bell Hamwood Papers (1930) iv. 69 One of the Llangollen butchers brought our post-bag from Wrexham.
1813 T. Moore Intercepted Lett. 284 The honour and delight of first ransacking the Post Bag.
1883 J. Martine Reminisc. Royal Burgh Haddington 227 Post-bags were carried on horseback from Edinburgh to London.
1898 Tit Bits 23 July 322/2 The Prince of Wales has the biggest post-bag of any of the Royalties.
1969 Guardian 6 Sept. 9/1 The biggest ever postbag of telegrams.
1999 Mirror (Nexis) 29 June 9 The Mirror was deluged with a massive postbag via the Internet email system, which received several hundred messages.
2004 Scunthorpe Evening Tel. (Nexis) 10 Sept. 9 The jewellery was in a package in a postbag on a postman's bicycle.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, December 2006; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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