bill

views updated May 18 2018

bill1 / bil/ • n. 1. an amount of money owed for goods supplied or services rendered, set out in a printed or written statement of charges: he was running up a bill of hundreds of dollars.2. a draft of a proposed law presented to parliament for discussion: a debate over the civil rights bill.3. a program of entertainment, esp. at a theater: she was top of the bill at America's leading vaudeville house.4. a banknote; a piece of paper money: a ten-dollar bill.5. a poster or handbill: the circus promoters were posting bills all over town.• v. [tr.] 1. (usu. be billed) list (a person or event) in a program: they were billed to appear but didn't show up. ∎  (bill someone/something as) describe someone or something in a particular, usually promotional, way, esp. as a means of advertisement: he was billed as “the new Sean Connery.”2. send a note of charges to (someone): we shall be billing them for the damage caused. ∎  charge (a sum of money): we billed her $400,000.PHRASES: fit (or fill) the bill be suitable for a particular purpose: a partner is an ally or a companion, and you don't seem to fit the bill.DERIVATIVES: bill·a·ble adj.bill2 • n. the beak of a bird, esp. when it is slender, flattened, or weak, or belongs to a web-footed bird or a bird of the pigeon family. ∎  the muzzle of a platypus. ∎  Brit. a stiff brim at the front of a cap.• v. [intr.] (of birds, esp. doves) stroke bill with bill during courtship.PHRASES: bill and coo inf. exchange caresses or affectionate words; behave or talk in a very loving or sentimental way.DERIVATIVES: billed adj. [usu. in comb.] the red-billed weaverbird.bill3 • n. a medieval weapon like a halberd with a hook instead of a blade.

Bill

views updated May 18 2018

BILL

A declaration in writing. A document listing separate items. An itemized account of charges or costs. Inequitypractice, the firstpleadingin the action, the paper in which the plaintiff sets out his or her case and demands relief from the defendant.

Many states require that laws must be passed by their state legislatures in the form of a bill. For example, the Texas Constitution requires that "no law shall be passed, except by bill, and no bill shall be so amended in its passage through either House, as to violent change its original purpose." Tex. Const. art. III, § 30. Likewise, the California Constitution may not make any law except by statute and may not make any statute except by bill. Cal. Const. art. IV, § 8(b). In some instances, however, a joint resolution that is enacted in the same manner as a bill may have the same force of law as a statute enacted through the passage of a bill.

A bill of indictment is a formal written document accusing someone of having committed a crime. It is presented to a grand jury for its consideration and decision whether to act on it. A bill of rights is a formal declaration that the people have certain rights and liberties. Rights are often asserted when there is a change in government, and a bill of rights has been included in the federal and many state constitutions in the United States.

A bill of particulars itemizes all the facts making up a claim asserted in a lawsuit. It is delivered to the opposing party in order to sharpen the issues in dispute. A bill of review lists errors alleged to have been made by a trial court. It is presented to a court that has jurisdiction to correct those errors or reverse the decision.

A bill of costs is a certified, itemized statement of expenses incurred by the successful party in a lawsuit. Courts are generally empowered to order the losing party to reimburse the winning party for some or all of these expenses. A bill of sale is a writing that lists property exchanged in a bargain for money or something else of value.

A bill corresponds to the declaration made by the plaintiff when beginning a common-law action. Modern rules of pleading have merged the procedures for handling cases at law and in equity, and the modern equivalent of both the bill in equity and the declaration at law is the complaint.

bill

views updated Jun 08 2018

bill bill of health a certificate relating to the incidence of infectious disease on ship or in port at time of sailing; from this comes the phrase a clean bill of health to mean a declaration or confirmation that someone is healthy or that something is in good condition.
Bill of Rights a legal statement of the rights of a class of people, in particular: the English constitutional settlement of 1689, confirming the deposition of James II and the accession of William and Mary, guaranteeing the Protestant succession, and laying down the principles of parliamentary supremacy; the first ten amendments to the Constitution of the US, ratified in 1791.

Bill

views updated May 29 2018

Bill ★★★ 1981

Based on a true story about a mentally retarded man who sets out to live independently after 44 years in an institution. Rooney gives an affecting performance as Bill and Quaid is strong as the filmmaker who befriends him. Awarded Emmys for Rooney's performance and the well written script. Followed by “Bill: On His Own.” 97m/C VHS . Mickey Rooney, Dennis Quaid, Largo Woodruff, Harry Goz; D: Anthony Page. TV

bill

views updated May 21 2018

bill3 †written document; †legal statement of a case; †list, catalogue, XIV; note of charges, account; poster XV; draft of an act of parliament XVI. — AN. bille or AL. billa, of uncert. orig.
Hence bill vb.2 enter in a bill XIV; announce by bill XVII.

bill

views updated May 21 2018

bill2 beak. OE. bile, not elsewhere in Gmc.; perh. from same base as prec.
Hence bill vb.1 peck XIII; stroke or caress with the bill XVI.

bill

views updated May 14 2018

bill1 (hist.) weapon of war (sword or halberd); pruning-hook. OE. bil = OS. bill, OHG. billi :- WGmc. *bilja.