postbag
Noun: 1. A mail carrier's shoulder bag: A bag, typically carried over the shoulder, used by postal workers to transport letters and small parcels during delivery rounds. This is the primary and most specific meaning. 2. The mail received by an organization or public figure: In British English, "postbag" can also refer to the total quantity of letters received by a newspaper, television program, or person in a public role over a period. This is a figurative extension from the container to its contents.
Noun (Mail carrier's bag):
- The postal worker slung the heavy postbag over her shoulder before starting her route.
- He reached into his postbag to pull out the final few letters for the street.
Noun (Volume of mail received):
- The editor was surprised by the size of the postbag in response to the controversial article.
- The Prime Minister's postbag is always full of public concerns and suggestions.
- "A bulging postbag": This phrase emphasizes a very large quantity of mail, either literally in the carrier's bag or figuratively in the volume of correspondence received.
- The advice column generated a bulging postbag from readers seeking help.
- Mailbag (noun): The more common American English equivalent for both meanings of "postbag."
- Post (noun): The system for collecting and delivering letters and parcels; also the letters and parcels themselves (chiefly British).
- Satchel (noun): A bag with a shoulder strap, often used for carrying books or papers, similar in form but not specific to mail.
- Mailbag: The direct synonym, especially in American English.
- Pouch: A small bag, which could be used for carrying items like letters.
- Sack: A larger bag, sometimes used for carrying mail.
The two meanings are connected but distinct. The first meaning is a concrete object—the physical bag used in mail delivery. The second meaning is a collective noun referring to the letters themselves, metonymically named after the container they arrive in or are carried in. This second usage is particularly common in media and public relations contexts in the UK.
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letter carrier's shoulder bag
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in Britain they call a mailbag a postbag
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