dead letter

1. An item of mail that cannot be delivered to its intended recipient; after some time it is returned to the sender, or destroyed.

   mail that can neither be delivered nor returned

2. A law or other measure that is no longer enforced.

3. (broadly)Anything that has lost its authority or influence despite still being in existence or formally in force.

1. The treaty is now a dead letter.

   ruСоглашение утратило силу.

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regular