savingram

A piece of administrative correspondence that uses the informal and abbreviated language of a telegram, but sent by mail, which is less expensive.

Noun

  1. A piece of administrative correspondence that uses the informal and abbreviated language of a telegram, but sent by mail, which is less expensive.
    • Savingrams were used where there was not sufficient urgency to necessitate telegrams and they were sent in the same way as despatches. - 1995, Anne Thurston, Sources for Colonial Studies in the Public Record Office,...
    • In light of this the colonial secretary noted in a draft savingram to the Colonies "cotton is one of those commodities of which it is necessary to increase production in the Sterling Area in order to reduce dollar...
    • This series contains copies of outward cablegrams and savingrams from Canberra either to Jakarta or to Dili, which were classified secret and below. - 2001, Karl Metcalf, Near Neighbours: Records on Australia's...

Origin

Blend of saving + telegram.

Forms

savingrams