Drop someone a line

To drop someone a line is an idiom that may be older than you think. We will examine the meaning of the idiom drop someone a line, where it came from, and some examples of its use in sentences.

To drop someone a line means to mail the person a short letter. People sometimes use drop someone a line to mean send an email or text. The expression drop someone a line came into use in the mid-1700s. The word line to mean a short, written message dates back to the mid-1600s. The word drop in the phrase drop someone a line means to drop a message in a postal box to be delivered to the recipient. Related phrases are drops someone a line, dropped someone a line, dropping someone a line.

Examples

If you have any questions, opinions, or stories on anything automotive please drop me a line by email to [email protected] listing ‘Question for the Car Counsellor’ on the subject line or by post to Metroland Media, 65 Lorne St., Smiths Falls, Ont. K7A 3K8. (My Kawartha)

Before he even starred in Get Out, in the course of one week last year both Ryan Coogler got in touch, to cast him in Black Panther, and Steve “12 Years A Slave” McQueen dropped him a line, for a heist movie he was putting together called Widows, which is out in November. (GQ Magazine)

Not to be outdone the shopper responded: “I tried dropping you a line, but this whole situation is giving me a haddock.” (The Guardian)