noun a police officer; the police. Original usage was singular, now mainly collective. Feasible etymologies, in no particular order of likelihood: i) 'Old Bill', a cartoon strip character created by Bruce Bairnsfeather (1888–1959), was a veteran of World War 1 with a distinctive 'authoritarian-looking' moustache – a status and description shared by many pre-World War 2 policemen. This derivation may be reinforced by the 1917 UK government's advertising campaign, featuring Old Bill dressed as a special constable, using the heading 'Old Bill says...' to disseminate important wartime information. ii) Derived from a blend of popular song 'Won't You Come Home, Bill Bailey' punning with 'The Old Bailey' (London's Central Criminal Court). iii) 'Old Bill' was King William IV (1765–1837), during whose reign (1830–37) the police force is wrongly thought to have been established. iv) 'Kaiser Bill', Kaiser Wilhelm I of Prussia (1797–1888), visited England in 1864 when the police uniform changed to helmet and tunic. v) Constables of the watch were nicknamed for the bills or billhooks that they carried as weapons. vi) In Victorian times the 'old bill' was the bill, or account, presented by police accepting bribes, or for services rendered. vii) New laws are introduced as parliamentary bills. viii) The London County Council registered all public service vehicles (police, fire and ambulance) with number plates BYL, leading villains to spot unmarked police cars as 'old Bill'. ix) Similarly, Scotland Yard's 'Flying Squad' (established 1921) was reportedly issued with BYL registrations so that the Squad became known as 'old Bill', and hence the police in general. x) In the 1860s, Limehouse police sergeant Bill Smith, of apocryphal memory, was nicknamed 'Old Bill' UK, 1958

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