letter-box

/ˈletə bɒks/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈletər bɑːks/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈlet.ə.bɒks/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈlet̬.ɚ.bɑːks/ (ame, ipa)

letter-box — 名詞

1. the place at a house where letters are delivered, either through a flap set into

1.名詞B1
釋義

投信口

門上或門邊供郵差投遞信件的開口

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.

例句

Noor heard the post drop through the letter-box during breakfast.

Noor 早餐時聽見郵件掉進投信口的聲音。

drop through the letter-box

A wet leaflet was sticking halfway out of the letter-box flap.

那張濕掉的廣告單半卡在投信口蓋片上。

同義詞
  • mail slot

    more exact when the opening is cut into a door

  • mailbox

    broader North American term for a private place where mail is delivered

  • door flap

    only names the moving cover, not the whole delivery point

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

❌Drop the tax form in our letter-box on your way to town.
✅Push the tax form through our letter-box at the front door.
💡This sense is the delivery slot or box at one house, not a public place for posting mail.

2. a metal box in the street where people leave letters for collection and delivery

2.名詞B1
釋義

郵筒

街上供民眾投入待寄信件的公共箱

a metal box in the street where people leave letters for collection and delivery.

例句

Christopher posted the card in the red letter-box outside the station.

Christopher 把卡片投進車站外那個紅色郵筒。

post a card in the letter-box

By noon, the village letter-box was already full of envelopes.

到了中午，村裡的郵筒已經塞滿了信封。

同義詞
  • 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

❌The postman dropped our gas bill into the letter-box near the station.
✅Christopher posted our gas bill into the letter-box near the station.
💡This sense is the public box for sending mail, not the place where your own mail arrives.

3. the display format that fits a wide film image onto an ordinary screen by adding

3.名詞C1
釋義

信箱格式

上下留黑邊來保留寬畫面的顯示方式

the display format that fits a wide film image onto an ordinary screen by adding black strips above and below the picture.

例句

The old television showed the film in letter-box, with black bands above and below.

那台舊電視用信箱格式播放那部片，上下都有黑邊。

show a film in letter-box

Yuki disliked letter-box because the subtitles looked smaller on the screen.

Yuki 不喜歡信箱格式，因為字幕在螢幕上看起來更小。

同義詞
  • 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

反義詞
  • 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

❌The DVD was in letter-box, so both sides were cut away.
✅The DVD was in letter-box, so black bars stayed above and below the picture.
💡Letter-box keeps the full wide image instead of cropping the sides.

letter-box — 動詞