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1. Dictionary

   poison pen letter

   noun

   • 1. an anonymous letter that is libellous, abusive, or malicious.

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     Shiptonthorpe councillor may know who wrote poison pen letters

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     I'm an EastEnders fan and I hope Linda Carter IS killed off at Christmas

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3. en.wikipedia.org › wiki › Poison_pen_letterPoison pen letter - Wikipedia

   en.wikipedia.org › wiki › Poison_pen_letter

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   A poison pen letter (or poisoned pen letter[1]) is a letter or note containing unpleasant, abusive, or malicious statements or accusations about the recipient or a third party. It is usually sent anonymously, often by employing the ransom note effect to avoid exposing the author's handwriting. Poison pen letters are usually composed and sent to ...

4. www.history.co.uk › articles › the-true-story-of-theThe true story of the foul-mouthed poison pen letters that ...

   www.history.co.uk › articles › the-true-story-of-the

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   But she couldn't let the case go. The relationship between neighbours is based on the ‘recognition of each other's secrets’ explains Cockayne. So, when she came to work on a new project about poison pen letters, she knew she had to include the Littlehampton case. After all, 'shame and secrecy are a big component to poison pen letters'.

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6. crossidiomas.com › poison-pen-letterUnderstanding "poison-pen letter" Idiom: Meaning, Origins ...

   crossidiomas.com › poison-pen-letter

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   The phrase “poison-pen letter” is a common idiom used to describe a malicious or defamatory written message. It is often associated with anonymous letters that are intended to harm the reputation or relationships of the recipient. The origins of this term can be traced back to the early 20th century, when letter-writing was a popular means ...

7. www.merriam-webster.com › dictionary › poison-pen letterPoison-pen letter Definition & Meaning - Merriam-Webster

   www.merriam-webster.com › dictionary › poison-pen letter

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   3 days ago · The meaning of POISON-PEN LETTER is a very harsh or critical letter written to someone and usually not signed.

8. lithub.com › epistolary-gossip-on-the-history-andEpistolary Gossip: On the History and Morality of the “Poison ...

   lithub.com › epistolary-gossip-on-the-history-and

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   Jan 8, 2024 · In the early twentieth century one genre of anonymous letter became so prominent it was given a name: the “poison pen” letter. Coined in America, the term “poison pen” was first used in ­1911 in a headline for an article in the Maryland Evening Post. The press popularized the term in Britain in the ­1920s. Poisoning was the form of ...

   • Author: Emily Cockayne

9. www.telegraph.co.uk › books › what-to-readHow poison-pen letters spread across Britain - The Telegraph

   www.telegraph.co.uk › books › what-to-read

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   Sep 3, 2023 · The term “poison pen letter” refers to any message sent anonymously – either unsigned, or signed only with initials, symbols or a pseudonym – with the apparent aim of unsettling the person ...

10. crimereads.com › poison-pen-letterThe Poison Pen Letter: The Early 20th Century's Strangest ...

    crimereads.com › poison-pen-letter

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    Mar 10, 2020 · Nasty poison pen outbreaks continued to occur throughout the Twenties and into the Thirties, with no one knowing where the contagion would strike next. In 1929 Frenchwoman Martha Gitton was sentenced to three months in prison and ordered to pay 15,000 francs in damages after she was convicted of inundating the provincial town of Gien with anonymous letters filled with wildly scurrilous passages.

11. People also ask

    What is a poison pen letter?

    • The letter also contained the mask pictured here. A poison pen letter (or poisoned pen letter) is a letter or note containing unpleasant, abusive, or malicious statements or accusations about the recipient or a third party. It is usually sent anonymously, often by employing the ransom note effect to avoid exposing the author's handwriting.

    Poison pen letter - Wikipedia

    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poison_pen_letter

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    When was a poison pen invented?

    • Coined in America, the term “poison pen” was first used in 1911 in a headline for an article in the Maryland Evening Post. The press popularized the term in Britain in the 1920s. Poisoning was the form of murder most connected to women, and these letters were regarded as a form of social poisoning more often than not perpetrated by women.

    Epistolary Gossip: On the History and Morality of the “Poison Pen” Letter

    lithub.com/epistolary-gossip-on-the-history-and-morality-of-the-poison-pen-letter/

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    What is a “poison pen”?

    • Rather, the instrument through which these poisons inflicted their damage was the pen—the so-called “poison pen” (a term which encompassed as well that click-clacking symbol of modern business efficiency, the typewriter). For these poisons were words —words which, like weapons of war, could not only hurt but in some cases kill.

    The Poison Pen Letter: The Early 20th Century’s Strangest Crime Wave

    crimereads.com/poison-pen-letter/

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    Why do women write poison pen letters?

    • When women start writing the letters ‘the whole law book is thrown at them’ explains Cockayne. Cockayne’s book covers numerous cases of poison pen letters and she see a common thread. ‘It's about women not being able to live lives that were fulfilling.

    The true story of the foul-mouthed poison pen letters that inspired

    www.history.co.uk/articles/the-true-story-of-the-foul-mouthed-poison-pen-letters-that-inspired-olivia-colmans-wicked

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    Did Mrs Pollard type poison pen letters?

    • Under grueling examination and cross examination lasting for over ten hours, famed handwriting expert William Kinsley testified that the same machine which had produced the type on letters Mrs. Pollard had indisputably typed with her personal typewriter had done so as well with the poison pen letters.

    The Poison Pen Letter: The Early 20th Century’s Strangest Crime Wave

    crimereads.com/poison-pen-letter/

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    Are poison-pen letters a 'plague' or 'epidemic'?

    • In the early to mid-20th century, there seemed to be a “plague” or “epidemic” of poison-pen letters. During the peak, in 1946, the vicar of Holy Trinity, Malvern, in Worcestershire, remarked glibly that “almost everyone receives an anonymous letter from time to time”; he himself had received “a fairly large number”.

    How poison-pen letters spread across Britain - The Telegraph

    www.telegraph.co.uk/books/what-to-read/history-of-poison-pen-letters/

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