no billn.int.
/ˌnəʊ ˈbɪl/, U.S. /ˌnoʊ ˈbɪl/ Criminal Law. Now U.S.
A notation made by a grand jury on an indictment presented to it, when it finds insufficient evidence for prosecution; a case or indictment rejected on these grounds. Also int., as an endorsement. Cf. ignoramus n. 1.
ΚΠ
1752 Compl. Juryman 15 If the Grand Jury have not evidence to satisfy them to find a Bill against any one Person named in the Bill, then they must indorse the Bill thus, No Bill.
1821 H. J. Nott & D. J. McCord Rep. Constit. Court S.-Carolina 2 ii. 559 A prosecutor may prefer a new bill where a grand jury has returned ‘no bill’.
1876 Rep. Supreme Court Georgia (1906) 53 82 He expected to prove the two ‘no bills’ had been procured by the fraud of the defendant.
1914 Pacific Reporter 139 780/1 The second resubmission, being after the grand jury had reported ‘No bill’, was unauthorized.
1931 Oregon Law Rev. 10 242 Probably 60 per cent of the informations which prosecutors would issue would be ‘no bills’ before a grand jury.
1992 Police Chief Feb. 8/2 The examination may be a routine presentation to a grand jury that results in a ‘no bill’.
This is a new entry (OED Third Edition, December 2003; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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n.int.1752- cell mates
- cell membrane
- cell membranes
- cell memory
- cell motility
- cell multiplication
- cell nest
- cell nesting
- cell nucleus
- cell number
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- cell of the brain
- cell phone
- cell phone bill
- cell phone call
- cell phone charger
- cell phone company
- cell phone network
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