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Glite Dictionary
🕵️ A trick 📦 A shipment list
bill of goods

bill of goods

5.0
A list that shows items sent in a delivery
  • noun
  • /bɪl əv ɡʊdz/
  • Archaic
translation icon : factura de mercancías
  • The bill of goods arrived yesterday.

Examples

  • They discovered that some items were missing from the bill of goods when unpacking the shipment.

  • The store received a bill of goods that included various household items.

  • He checked the bill of goods before signing the delivery receipt.

  • Did you receive the bill of goods from the supplier?

  • The store owner received a detailed bill of goods that listed all the items included in the shipment.

  • When she checked her order, she noticed there was a bill of goods accompanying the delivery, showing what had been sent.

  • Before making payment, he carefully reviewed the bill of goods to ensure every product matched the invoice.

Synonyms

cargo
vsbill of goods
537 2.3

Goods carried by a ship, plane, or large vehicle

is listed on an invoice or receipt rather than focusing on transport mode
shipment
vsbill of goods
231 2.3

A load of goods sent together by one truck, plane, or ship

is recorded on an invoice or receipt rather than just the transport act
freight
vsbill of goods
79 3.9

Goods moved in large amounts by ship, train, or truck

is an invoiced batch of items rather than emphasizing bulk transport
consignment
vsbill of goods
  • Specialized
5 5.6

A batch of goods sent by truck or ship for delivery

is noted on an invoice or receipt rather than focusing on sale purpose

Surface Forms

bill of goods singular
bills of goods plural

Morphology

bill + of + good

The literal constituents ('bill' = invoice or statement, 'goods' = products) yield a straightforward literal reading (an invoice for products), which does not indicate deception. The idiomatic sense 'a deceptive set of claims' is language-specific and unpredictable from the parts, so a B1 learner who only knows the constituents would not reliably infer the intended meaning.

Etymology

Bill of goods originally meant the paper list you get with a delivery, a bill showing which goods were in a shipment, so it simply referred to 'a shipment or list of merchandise'.