dead letter
短语死信, 形同虚设的规定 [法] 无法投递函件
发音
其它
词形变化
dead letters
复数
dead letters
释义与例句
n.
-
1.
An item of mail that cannot be delivered to its intended recipient; after some time it is returned to the sender, or destroyed.
瞎信
盲信
死信
-
2.
A law or other measure that is no longer enforced.
Laws are a dead letter, without courts to expound and define their true meaning and operation.
1905, Basil Hall Chamberlain, Things Japanese, Railways The most formidable obstacle in the way of Japanese railway enterprise is that conflicting interests and local intrigues are apt to render the law of expropriation for public benefit little more than a dead letter.
-
3.
Anything that has lost its authority or influence despite still being in existence or formally in force.
引申义