pocket veto
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
When the President of the U.S.A. refuses to ratify a Bill which has passed both Houses, he is said to pocket it.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “pocket veto” mean?
When the President of the U.S.A. refuses to ratify a Bill which has passed both Houses, he is said to pocket it.
Is “pocket veto” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.