carry the mail
English edit
Pronunciation edit
Audio (AU) (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)
- (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.