carry the mail

verb

To work diligently; to serve as the principal performer of a demanding task or set of tasks.

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Meanings

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

present singular third person carries the mail · participle present carrying the mail · participle past carried the mail · past carried the mail

  1. USidiomaticTo work diligently; to serve as the principal performer of a demanding task or set of tasks.

    "My objective was to carry the mail for the President, working with the Congress, forging that new bill."

    1986 January 8, Keith Schneider, “Agriculture Chief to Quit: Reagan Hails Block Tenure”, in New York Times, retrieved 05 Mar 2014
    2 more examples

    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.

    2011 April 12, Kent Wilson, “Sidney Crosby's historic season”, in ESPN.com, retrieved 05 Mar 2014

    The coaches will say, "We have two starters at running back," but the guy who'll carry the mail is DeMarco Murray.

    2012 June 28, “Dallas Cowboys”, in Sports Illustrated, retrieved 05 Mar 2014
Cite this entry
APA

carry the mail. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/carry%20the%20mail

MLA

“carry the mail.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/carry%20the%20mail. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “carry the mail,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/carry%20the%20mail.

Source: carry the mail on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.