Old Billn.

Brit.

/əʊl(d) ˈbɪl/, U.S.

/ˈoʊl(d) ˈbɪl/

Origin: From a proper name, combined with an English element. Etymons: old adj., proper name Bill.

Etymology: < old adj. + Bill, pet form of the male forename William (see William n.; compare billy n.²).The character of Old Bill was created by the British cartoonist Bruce Bairnsfather (1888–1959) and appeared in issues of Bystander from 1915 onwards. The origin of sense 2 is uncertain. It may have arisen from subsequent use of the cartoon character, depicted in police uniform, on posters in a Metropolitan Police recruitment campaign of 1917, and later during the Second World War (1939–45) giving advice on wartime security. Among other explanations that have been suggested are that it is from the association of police officers prior to the Second World War with ‘Old Bill’ moustaches; from the ‘bill’ (bill n.¹ 2b, also billy n.² b) used as a weapon by 18th-cent. constables; or from the registration letters BYL originally used on cars belonging to the Flying Squad.

a. The name of a cartoon character of the First World War (1914–18), portrayed as an old grumbling Cockney soldier with a walrus moustache. Old Bill moustache n. a moustache resembling that depicted on the cartoon character.

ΘΚΠ

society > armed hostility > warrior > soldier > soldier by type of service > [noun] > veteran soldier

veteran?1504

man of service1553

campaigner1771

old moustache1828

warhorse1836

vet1848

Old Bill1915

old sweat1919

retread1941

grognard1959

the mind > attention and judgement > beautification > beautification of the person > beautification of the hair > styles of hair > [noun] > styles of moustache

rat-tail moustache1871

burnside1875

handlebar1888

Kaiser moustache1900

Kaiser Wilhelm moustache1901

toothbrush moustache1904

doormat1909

Kaiser Bill moustache1910

Old Bill moustache1915

cookie-duster1918

walrus moustache1918

Hitler1930

walrus whiskers1930

soup-strainer1932

pencil line1934

pencil moustache1961

Zapata1968

1915 Bystander 3 4 Again, ‘Old Bill’ and ‘Our Bert’ and ‘Alf’, seriously comical and comically serious, fill the pages with their humour.

1930 Daily Express 6 Oct. 4/4 An enormous mouth fringed all around with stiff hairy bristles, just like an ‘Old Bill’ moustache.

1933 B. Bairnsfather Laughing through Orient i. 15 Old Bill who, for many years, has been so closely entwined with my existence.

1946 R.A.F. Jrnl. May 163 During the last war, Bruce Bairnsfather created ‘Old Bill’, a lovable grumbler, typifying the foot-slogger of the British Army in Flanders.

1973 Times 2 Nov. 13/7 The Old Bill moustache starts twitching.

1986 Dict. National Biogr. 1971–80 at Clark, Frederick Le Gros Those who knew him through science called him ‘Bill’—a nickname bestowed in the war of 1914–18 because of a fancied resemblance to the cartoon character ‘Old Bill’.

1998 Dawn (Nexis) 30 Sept. 21 Mr. Parker was an amiable Yorkshire man with an ‘Old Bill’ moustache and plastered down hair.

b. An old soldier, esp. one who resembles the cartoon character.

ΘΚΠ

society > armed hostility > warrior > soldier > soldier by type of service > [noun] > ex-soldier or ex-serviceman

veteran1577

old soldier1640

war veteran1906

VFW1920

Old Bill1925

oudstryder1942

1925 E. Fraser & J. Gibbons Soldier & Sailor Words 213 Old Bill, a veteran. Any old Soldier; in particular one with a heavy, drooping moustache. (From Captain Bairnsfather's celebrated creation ‘Old Bill’).

1939 H. Hodge Cab, Sir? 54 Here comes Old Bill himself.

2. British slang.

a. A police officer.

ΘΚΠ

society > law > law enforcement > police force or the police > [noun] > policeman

truncheon officer1708

runner1735

horny1753

nibbing-cull1775

nabbing-cull1780

police officer1784

police constable1787

policeman1788

scout1789

nabman1792

nabber1795

pig1811

Bow-street officer1812

nab1813

peeler1816

split1819

grunter1823

robin redbreast1824

bulky1828

raw (or unboiled) lobster1829

Johnny Darm1830

polis1833

crusher1835

constable1839

police1839

agent1841

johndarm1843

blue boy1844

bobby1844

bluebottle1845

copper1846

blue1848

polisman1850

blue coat1851

Johnny1851

PC1851

spot1851

Jack1854

truncheonist1854

fly1857

greycoat1857

cop1859

Cossack1859

slop1859

scuffer1860

nailerc1863

worm1864

Robert1870

reeler1879

minion of the law1882

ginger pop1887

rozzer1888

nark1890

bull1893

grasshopper1893

truncheon-bearer1896

John1898

finger1899

flatty1899

mug1903

John Dunn1904

John Hop1905

gendarme1906

Johnny Hop1908

pavement pounder1908

buttons1911

flat-foot1913

pounder1919

Hop1923

bogy1925

shamus1925

heat1928

fuzz1929

law1929

narker1932

roach1932

jonnop1938

grass1939

roller1940

Babylon1943

walloper1945

cozzer1950

Old Bill1958

cowboy1959

monaych1961

cozzpot1962

policeperson1965

woolly1965

Fed1966

wolly1970

plod1971

roz1971

Smokey Bear1974

bear1975

beast1978

woodentop1981

Five-O1983

dibble1990

Bow-street runner-

1958 F. Norman Bang to Rights 138 Two Old Bill's came up to me and told me they had a warrant for my arrest.

1967 Guardian 14 Mar. 8/6 He observed a couple of men supping nearby who looked suspiciously like plainclothes men. Coulson asked the landlord. ‘Oh no,’ he said, ‘they're drinking pints. Old Bills only drink halves.’

1983 J. Sullivan Only Fools & Horses (1999) I. 3rd Ser. Episode 5. 171 Rodney. Yeah, he said he was an old mate! Del. He's not an old mate—he's an Old Bill!

b. Frequently with the. The police force; police officers collectively. Cf. Bill n.⁵

ΘΚΠ

society > law > law enforcement > police force or the police > [noun]

police1798

police force1820

constabulary1837

the force1851

John Law1903

button1921

fuzz1929

law1929

Babylon1943

monaych1961

filth1967

heat1967

Bill1969

Old Bill1970

beast1978

blues and twos1985

dibble1990

po-po1994

1970 G. F. Newman Sir, You Bastard viii. 272 Giving Old Bill a bung was still an offence, and there would have been no consideration for the information.

1976 New Statesman 12 Mar. 322/3 If they were caught at it when the Old Bill (police) staged one of their frequent raids then we would all be up on a charge of ‘maintaining a disorderly house’.

1993 R. Lowe & W. Shaw Travellers 37 Because it's a motor vehicle there's no way I can stop the Old Bill coming in at any time they want with or without a warrant.

2002 Independent 8 Mar. (Friday Review section) 1/2 There's a ring of Old Bill around the entrance. They're there to break up the mob.

This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, March 2004; most recently modified version published online March 2022).

单词	old bill
释义	Old Billn. Brit. /əʊl(d) ˈbɪl/, U.S. /ˈoʊl(d) ˈbɪl/ Origin: From a proper name, combined with an English element. Etymons: old adj., proper name Bill. Etymology: < old adj. + Bill, pet form of the male forename William (see William n.; compare billy n.²).The character of Old Bill was created by the British cartoonist Bruce Bairnsfather (1888–1959) and appeared in issues of Bystander from 1915 onwards. The origin of sense 2 is uncertain. It may have arisen from subsequent use of the cartoon character, depicted in police uniform, on posters in a Metropolitan Police recruitment campaign of 1917, and later during the Second World War (1939–45) giving advice on wartime security. Among other explanations that have been suggested are that it is from the association of police officers prior to the Second World War with ‘Old Bill’ moustaches; from the ‘bill’ (bill n.¹ 2b, also billy n.² b) used as a weapon by 18th-cent. constables; or from the registration letters BYL originally used on cars belonging to the Flying Squad. 1. a. The name of a cartoon character of the First World War (1914–18), portrayed as an old grumbling Cockney soldier with a walrus moustache. Old Bill moustache n. a moustache resembling that depicted on the cartoon character. ΘΚΠ society > armed hostility > warrior > soldier > soldier by type of service > [noun] > veteran soldier veteran?1504 man of service1553 campaigner1771 old moustache1828 warhorse1836 vet1848 Old Bill1915 old sweat1919 retread1941 grognard1959 the mind > attention and judgement > beautification > beautification of the person > beautification of the hair > styles of hair > [noun] > styles of moustache rat-tail moustache1871 burnside1875 handlebar1888 Kaiser moustache1900 Kaiser Wilhelm moustache1901 toothbrush moustache1904 doormat1909 Kaiser Bill moustache1910 Old Bill moustache1915 cookie-duster1918 walrus moustache1918 Hitler1930 walrus whiskers1930 soup-strainer1932 pencil line1934 pencil moustache1961 Zapata1968 1915 Bystander 3 4 Again, ‘Old Bill’ and ‘Our Bert’ and ‘Alf’, seriously comical and comically serious, fill the pages with their humour. 1930 Daily Express 6 Oct. 4/4 An enormous mouth fringed all around with stiff hairy bristles, just like an ‘Old Bill’ moustache. 1933 B. Bairnsfather Laughing through Orient i. 15 Old Bill who, for many years, has been so closely entwined with my existence. 1946 R.A.F. Jrnl. May 163 During the last war, Bruce Bairnsfather created ‘Old Bill’, a lovable grumbler, typifying the foot-slogger of the British Army in Flanders. 1973 Times 2 Nov. 13/7 The Old Bill moustache starts twitching. 1986 Dict. National Biogr. 1971–80 at Clark, Frederick Le Gros Those who knew him through science called him ‘Bill’—a nickname bestowed in the war of 1914–18 because of a fancied resemblance to the cartoon character ‘Old Bill’. 1998 Dawn (Nexis) 30 Sept. 21 Mr. Parker was an amiable Yorkshire man with an ‘Old Bill’ moustache and plastered down hair. b. An old soldier, esp. one who resembles the cartoon character. ΘΚΠ society > armed hostility > warrior > soldier > soldier by type of service > [noun] > ex-soldier or ex-serviceman veteran1577 old soldier1640 war veteran1906 VFW1920 Old Bill1925 oudstryder1942 1925 E. Fraser & J. Gibbons Soldier & Sailor Words 213 Old Bill, a veteran. Any old Soldier; in particular one with a heavy, drooping moustache. (From Captain Bairnsfather's celebrated creation ‘Old Bill’). 1939 H. Hodge Cab, Sir? 54 Here comes Old Bill himself. 2. British slang. a. A police officer. ΘΚΠ society > law > law enforcement > police force or the police > [noun] > policeman truncheon officer1708 runner1735 horny1753 nibbing-cull1775 nabbing-cull1780 police officer1784 police constable1787 policeman1788 scout1789 nabman1792 nabber1795 pig1811 Bow-street officer1812 nab1813 peeler1816 split1819 grunter1823 robin redbreast1824 bulky1828 raw (or unboiled) lobster1829 Johnny Darm1830 polis1833 crusher1835 constable1839 police1839 agent1841 johndarm1843 blue boy1844 bobby1844 bluebottle1845 copper1846 blue1848 polisman1850 blue coat1851 Johnny1851 PC1851 spot1851 Jack1854 truncheonist1854 fly1857 greycoat1857 cop1859 Cossack1859 slop1859 scuffer1860 nailerc1863 worm1864 Robert1870 reeler1879 minion of the law1882 ginger pop1887 rozzer1888 nark1890 bull1893 grasshopper1893 truncheon-bearer1896 John1898 finger1899 flatty1899 mug1903 John Dunn1904 John Hop1905 gendarme1906 Johnny Hop1908 pavement pounder1908 buttons1911 flat-foot1913 pounder1919 Hop1923 bogy1925 shamus1925 heat1928 fuzz1929 law1929 narker1932 roach1932 jonnop1938 grass1939 roller1940 Babylon1943 walloper1945 cozzer1950 Old Bill1958 cowboy1959 monaych1961 cozzpot1962 policeperson1965 woolly1965 Fed1966 wolly1970 plod1971 roz1971 Smokey Bear1974 bear1975 beast1978 woodentop1981 Five-O1983 dibble1990 Bow-street runner- 1958 F. Norman Bang to Rights 138 Two Old Bill's came up to me and told me they had a warrant for my arrest. 1967 Guardian 14 Mar. 8/6 He observed a couple of men supping nearby who looked suspiciously like plainclothes men. Coulson asked the landlord. ‘Oh no,’ he said, ‘they're drinking pints. Old Bills only drink halves.’ 1983 J. Sullivan Only Fools & Horses (1999) I. 3rd Ser. Episode 5. 171 Rodney. Yeah, he said he was an old mate! Del. He's not an old mate—he's an Old Bill! b. Frequently with the. The police force; police officers collectively. Cf. Bill n.⁵ ΘΚΠ society > law > law enforcement > police force or the police > [noun] police1798 police force1820 constabulary1837 the force1851 John Law1903 button1921 fuzz1929 law1929 Babylon1943 monaych1961 filth1967 heat1967 Bill1969 Old Bill1970 beast1978 blues and twos1985 dibble1990 po-po1994 1970 G. F. Newman Sir, You Bastard viii. 272 Giving Old Bill a bung was still an offence, and there would have been no consideration for the information. 1976 New Statesman 12 Mar. 322/3 If they were caught at it when the Old Bill (police) staged one of their frequent raids then we would all be up on a charge of ‘maintaining a disorderly house’. 1993 R. Lowe & W. Shaw Travellers 37 Because it's a motor vehicle there's no way I can stop the Old Bill coming in at any time they want with or without a warrant. 2002 Independent 8 Mar. (Friday Review section) 1/2 There's a ring of Old Bill around the entrance. They're there to break up the mob. This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, March 2004; most recently modified version published online March 2022). < n.1915
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