English-Polish translations for dead letter

• martwa litera
  To nie będzie martwa litera prawa, ponieważ pojawią się również przepisy dotyczące kar finansowych i kar za nieprzestrzeganie prawa. This will not be a dead letter, for there will also be a liability provision with penalties for non-compliance.
  Solidarność oraz spójność gospodarcza i społeczna to zaledwie puste słowa: martwa litera traktatów. Solidarity and economic and social cohesion are nothing more than empty words: dead letters in the Treaties.

Definition of dead letter

• An item of mail that cannot be delivered to its intended recipient; after some time it is returned to the sender, or destroyed
• Anything that has lost its authority or influence despite still being in existence or formally in force

Related words

• letter of the law