Old Bill

British  

noun

1. a policeman

2. (functioning as plural) policemen collectively or in general

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Etymology

Origin of Old Bill

C20: of uncertain origin: perhaps derived from the World War I cartoon of a soldier with a drooping moustache

Example Sentences

Surprisingly, given its reputation for ad lib invention, the script remains almost exactly the same as in the UK, apart from a few changes for clarity – "Old Bill" is replaced by "police".

From The Guardian • Mar. 6, 2013

Proper Journalist David Conn took ages to write this epic about how 'Arry's acquittal is a blow for the Old Bill.

From The Guardian • Feb. 9, 2012

Buzz with the Fuzz - Chris Farlowe & the Thunderbirds A hipster's frankly dubious entertainment plans are inconvenienced by the repeated interventions of the Old Bill.

From The Guardian • Mar. 24, 2011

Old Bill discovered that the British government had known this all along but was not intending to try his son's murderers.

From Time Magazine Archive

“Past time,” he said, when Frog found him dicing with Beans and Books and Old Bill Bone, and losing yet again.

From "A Dance with Dragons" by George R. R. Martin