letter-box
/ˈletə bɒks/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈletər bɑːks/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈlet.ə.bɒks/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈlet̬.ɚ.bɑːks/ (ame, ipa)
letter-box — noun
1. the place at a house where letters are delivered, either through a flap set into
the place at a house where letters are delivered, either through a flap set into the front door or into a small box by the entrance.
Noor heard the post drop through the letter-box during breakfast.
drop through the letter-box
A wet leaflet was sticking halfway out of the letter-box flap.
The nurse slid the test results through the letter-box and left.
Tomás painted the old letter-box green to match the front door.
Snow had blown in through the letter-box after the storm.
文法句型
through the letter-box
the letter-box flap
paint the letter-box
用法筆記
Usually refers to the delivery point at one home. British English often uses letter-box here, while American English more often says mailbox or mail slot. Distinguish from sense 2: this sense is for receiving mail at a house, not for posting letters in public.
常見錯誤
2. a metal box in the street where people leave letters for collection and delivery
a metal box in the street where people leave letters for collection and delivery.
Christopher posted the card in the red letter-box outside the station.
post a card in the letter-box
By noon, the village letter-box was already full of envelopes.
A queue formed when the last collection time changed on the letter-box.
Léa checked the notice on the letter-box before mailing the form.
After the storm, workers emptied the bent letter-box by the post office.
- postbox
the most direct British English equivalent
- pillar box
a traditional British street-posting box, often cylindrical
- mailbox
broader North American term that can also mean a private home box
文法句型
post a card in the letter-box
empty the letter-box
the letter-box collection time
用法筆記
Used for a public box where you post outgoing mail. In British English it often overlaps with postbox. Distinguish from sense 1: this sense is for sending letters out, not for receiving mail at one home.
常見錯誤
3. the display format that fits a wide film image onto an ordinary screen by adding
the display format that fits a wide film image onto an ordinary screen by adding black strips above and below the picture.
The old television showed the film in letter-box, with black bands above and below.
show a film in letter-box
Yuki disliked letter-box because the subtitles looked smaller on the screen.
The projector switched to letter-box when the wider trailer started.
At film club, Noor explained why letter-box kept the full picture.
- letterboxing
a more technical term for this screen presentation style
- wide-screen format
broader and does not always stress the black bars on a narrow screen
- fullscreen
fills the whole screen instead of leaving black bars
- pan-and-scan
fits a wide image by cutting away the sides
文法句型
in letter-box
switch to letter-box
letter-box format
用法筆記
Usually appears in film and video talk, often after in or in the phrase letter-box format. Distinguish from verb/1: this noun names the display result, while verb/1 names the act of creating it.
常見錯誤
letter-box — verb
- letter-boxpresent simple I / you / we / they
- letter-boxes3rd person singular
- letter-boxing-ing form
- letter-boxedpast simple
1. to show a wide film image on an ordinary screen by adding black strips above and
to show a wide film image on an ordinary screen by adding black strips above and below the picture.
The app letter-boxed the trailer so it would fit the older screen.
letter-box a trailer to fit a screen
During export, the editor letter-boxed the video for classroom projectors.
The film was letter-boxed on the hotel television and still looked sharp.
Esme letter-boxed the clip instead of cutting off the side details.
- matte
a more technical editing verb that can cover several kinds of masking
- crop
removes part of the picture instead of preserving the full width
文法句型
letter-box a film
letter-box the video
be letter-boxed
用法筆記
Often appears in passive sentences when describing how a film or video is shown. The object is usually a film, clip, or image, and the purpose is to keep the full width on a narrower screen.