STAMP OUT THAT PHRASE The Dictionary of American Slang defines "to go postal" as "to succumb to tension and fatigue; lose it, stress out." Sound harmless? Not to the U.S. Postal Service, which is doing its best to send the phrase packing. A history:
1993 First known publication, in the St. Petersburg Times
1994 Appears in the magazine Wired
1995 In the movie Clueless, Cher Horowitz, played by Alicia Silverstone, frets, "I had an overwhelming sense of ickiness...like Josh thinking I was mean was making me postal." Enters common usage.
1998 Postmaster General William J. Henderson charges a commission...
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