billy
English meaning: Billy
Definition
A billy club.
Example
“The officer reached for his billy as the crowd surged forward.”
Another example: “A stubborn old billy goat blocked the narrow mountain path.”
Usage — When, Where & How
A 'billy' (or billy club) is a police truncheon, chiefly American. 'Billy' also names a billy goat and, in Australia, a tin can for boiling water ('billycan'). Informal register; often a man's nickname.
Etymology & Origin
English — Origin & History
A pet form of the name 'William'; the 'club' sense is American, attested from the mid-19th century.
Synonyms
- stick
- truncheon
- nightstick
- billy goat
- he-goat
- billystick
Related Words
Common Collocations
- billy club
- billy goat
- swing a billy
- old billy
- silly billy
Word Forms
billy (n); billies (pl)
Word Tools
Literary Heritage
“To thine own self be true, and it must follow, as the night the day, thou canst not then be false to any man.”
/To thine own self be true/
“Be honest with yourself — and as naturally as night follows day, you will be unable to be false to others.”
“I'm nobody! Who are you? Are you nobody, too?”
/I'm nobody! Who are you?/
“I am nobody — and that quiet anonymity is more honest than the noise of public fame.”
Images
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Language information
- Language
- English
- English
- Script
- Latin
- Family
- Indo-European
- Speakers
- 1.5B