I was thinking about this while preparing for a trip to the post office this morning; that oft-seen phrase, "Do not fold, spindle, or mutilate." We all know what folding and mutilating is, but how do I spindle my letter, and why doesn't the post office want me to do this?

kirs4

from Dictionary.com To impale or perforate on a spindle: Do not fold, spindle, or mutilate this card. A spindle is: Any of various long thin stationary rods, as: A spike on which papers may be impaled. I think they don't want someone to poke a hole or holes in the card or letter. (Not necessarily you, but the delivery people.) Dec 22 05, 2:35 PM

masonbarge

Way back when (1970's!), an office desk would frequently have a spindle on it for storing mail. It had a heavy base and a long thin sharp spindle on which people would impale the mail. Dec 22 05, 5:44 PM

JoshCaleb12

The type of spindle described above is related to the spindle used in spinning... so, if you've read Sleeping Beauty, you'll understand what a sharp point the mail spindle has... *grin* Dec 22 05, 10:18 PM