• Nastygram

    Alternative forms

    Origin

    nasty-gram. Possibly a playful variation of candygram.

    Full definition of nastygram

    Noun

    nastygram

    (plural nastygrams)
    1. (informal) A written communication containing unpleasant material, especially one that criticizes, insults, or intimidates the recipient.
      • 1987, Steve Kerch, "Realty Terminology: Bird dogs to fat cats," Chicago Tribune, 24 Jan., p. 7:Ordinary people might find a "nasty gram" in the mail, a notice from a lender who has not received payment from a borrower.
      • 2008, Nate Anderson, "Cash, not idealism, behind ISP embrace of music biz," Ars Technica, (retrieved 10 Feb 2009):Virgin Media, one of the UK's largest ISPs, has agreed to forward British music industry nastygrams to subscribers suspected of illegal file-swapping.

    Usage notes

    Now often used to refer to unpleasant messages distributed by electronic means, such as by email or internet posting.

    © Wiktionary