to fill the bill
2
4.0
- idiom
:
ser adecuado
- Louie Gohmert stepped forward to fill the bill.
- fills the bill nicely
- fills the bill perfectly
- certainly fills the bill
Examples
-
This laptop is perfect for my needs; it really fills the bill.
-
Buck filled the bill perfectly.
Academic text (2001) -
So, you think you might fill the bill?
-
Let's see, who could fill the bill for a Chicago bag man?
Blog text (12) -
Some of the nature documentary series might fill the bill.
Blog text (19) -
Slow cars don't fill the bill.
Blog text (33) -
A determination for any of these gems would likely fill the bill.
Blog text (29) -
The little Italian restaurant was only a few blocks from the police station, and after a hurried glance, Sybill decided it would fill the bill.
Fiction book (1999) -
If you are thinking you'd like to make a draft snake, but don't want to sew, this one fills the bill!
Blog text (6) -
Although the answer is not certain, a consensus has emerged that Einstein's discarded cosmological constant fills the bill.
Academic text (2006)
Synonyms
99
4.7
To be enough for what is needed
26
3.5
To be enough to meet a need or purpose
19
3.9
To be right for a specific purpose or need
Antonyms
How Suitable
Surface Forms
Morphology
Although 'fill' can mean 'satisfy' in some contexts, the literal noun 'bill' (an invoice or paper) does not transparently convey 'requirement' or 'need' to most learners, so the sense 'to be suitable' cannot be reliably derived. The expression is idiomatic and its specific meaning is historically based and not predictable from the constituent words, so a B1 learner who knows the parts would likely not infer the correct sense without prior exposure.
Etymology
Fill the bill may come from old theatre posters called bills. If a performer filled the bill by appearing on the bill and doing what was promised, they fit the need, so the phrase now means 'to be suitable'.