Poison pen

Posted by Victoria S Dennis September 03, 2009 at 10:27In reply to Poison pen posted by Tony on September 03, 2009 at 06:39:

Does anyone know how and where the phrase "poison pen" originated?

Both the Oxford Dictionary of Phrase & Fable and The American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms say that it dates from the early 20th century. Whether it originated in the US or the UK they don't say. The metaphor, however, is obvious; the anonymous writer has filled his/her pen with poison instead of ink. (VSD)