BBB Etymology - Bills, Bills, Bills
In this slightly expanded version of BBB Etymology, let's explore some idioms that include "bills" such as "foot the bill", "clean bill of health", "fill the bill", and the old fashioned "bill and coo".
"Foot the bill" seems to have it's roots from the mildly figurative sense of foot that refers to the end or bottom of something, such as the foot of a ladder. In this case, it is a verb that — for example — might once have meant adding a postscript to the end of a letter. But our sense refers in particular to the totting up of a column of figures, especially in an account ledger, and adding the result to the bottom of the column. Our sense of settling one’s account was acquired from the original because adding up the items on an account was something that would commonly be done at the point when one was paying one’s bill.
A "clean bill of health" comes from nautical usage referencing a certificate issued by a port indicating that the ship carries no infectious diseases.
"Fill the bill" (1882) was originally U.S. theatrical slang, in reference to a star whose name would be the only one on a show's poster.
And finally (and somewhat obviously) "bill and coo" comes from the ornithological reference to bird mating rituals. The reference to "talking quietly and kissing" was first recorded in 1816.
"Foot the bill" seems to have it's roots from the mildly figurative sense of foot that refers to the end or bottom of something, such as the foot of a ladder. In this case, it is a verb that — for example — might once have meant adding a postscript to the end of a letter. But our sense refers in particular to the totting up of a column of figures, especially in an account ledger, and adding the result to the bottom of the column. Our sense of settling one’s account was acquired from the original because adding up the items on an account was something that would commonly be done at the point when one was paying one’s bill.
A "clean bill of health" comes from nautical usage referencing a certificate issued by a port indicating that the ship carries no infectious diseases.
"Fill the bill" (1882) was originally U.S. theatrical slang, in reference to a star whose name would be the only one on a show's poster.
And finally (and somewhat obviously) "bill and coo" comes from the ornithological reference to bird mating rituals. The reference to "talking quietly and kissing" was first recorded in 1816.
