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a Dear John letter

a letter which ends a romantic relationship

TRANSLATION

a Dear John letter = Brief mit dem jemand eine Liebesbeziehung beendet (jemanden schriftlich den Laufpass geben) --- How important is this English word? Dear John letter: 317,000 Google Hits

STATISTICS

IN THE PRESS

After Robert read the DEAR JOHN LETTER from his girlfriend, he packed his bag and caught the next train to London.

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Thousands of General Motors workers will be getting a DEAR JOHN LETTER after the company announced job cuts and plant closings affecting up to 30,000 employees.

Did you
know?

Dear John letter
idiomatic phrase

1) a letter written by a woman to her boyfriend, lover or husband explaining that the relationship is over

2) any letter stating that a personal or business relationship has ended.


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WORD ORIGIN

While the exact origins of the phrase are unknown, the common belief is that it originated during World War II when large numbers of American troops were stationed overseas for months or years.

The result of long periods of separation caused many wives and girlfriends to begin new relationships.

The unfortunate soldiers were sometimes informed of this via letters that began with "Dear John" instead of the normally affectionate salutation (my dearest Johnny), thus signalling the letter's real intent.

Why the name John was adopted is unclear. The phrase could just as well have been "a Dear Bob letter". But John was and still is a common name and is also used to refer to anonymous men (John Doe, John Public).

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SYNONYMS

breakup letter, a Dear Jane letter (for men)

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PRACTICE OWAD TODAY

“Hey Mark, I need your help to write a Dear John letter to our supplier"


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ich muss mal = N_____ C____

"Please excuse me for a moment, N_____ is C____ING"

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NATURE CALLS

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