poison-pen letter

noun

a letter written in malice, usually anonymously, and intended to abuse, frighten, or insult the recipient

Discover More

Idioms and Phrases

A letter, usually anonymous, that makes malicious statements about the recipient or a third party. For example, She told the police about the poison-pen letters, but they said they couldn't pursue the matter . [Early 1900s]

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

poison-pen poison pill

Browse