carry the mail

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English[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

  • (file)

Verb[edit]

carry the mail (third-person singular simple present carries the mail, present participle carrying the mail, simple past and past participle carried the mail)

  1. (chiefly US, idiomatic) To work diligently; to serve as the principal performer of a demanding task or set of tasks.
    • 1986 January 8, Keith Schneider, “Agriculture Chief to Quit: Reagan Hails Block Tenure”, in New York Times, retrieved 5 March 2014:
      "My objective was to carry the mail for the President, working with the Congress, forging that new bill."
    • 2011 April 12, Kent Wilson, “Sidney Crosby's historic season”, in ESPN.com, retrieved 5 March 2014:
      To say the Pittsburgh Penguins are a top-heavy club is an understatement. . . . The club is therefore completely reliant on Crosby and Co. to carry the mail up front.
    • 2012 June 28, “Dallas Cowboys”, in Sports Illustrated, retrieved 5 March 2014:
      The coaches will say, "We have two starters at running back," but the guy who'll carry the mail is DeMarco Murray.

Usage notes[edit]

  • Usually used in sport contexts.

See also[edit]