Snail mail or smail (from snail + mail)'s a dysphemistic retronym — named after the snail with its slow speed — used to refer to letters and carried by conventional postal delivery services. The phrase refers to the lag-time between dispatch of a letter and its receipt, versus the virtually instantaneous dispatch and delivery of its electronic equivalent, e-mail. It's also known, more neutrally, as paper mail, postal mail, land mail, or simply mail. Snail mail's also a term used in r… (More on Snail-mail)