to fit the bill
19
3.9
- phrasal verb
- Informal
:
ser adecuado
- For that, a radical Islamic movement like the Taliban, with strong ties to kin in Pakistan, fits the bill.
And so this fits the bill a lot.
- And so this fits the bill a lot.
- Too much featureless stuff fits the bill just fine.
- I am talking about someone who truly fits the bill.
- And that's why I come up with, you know, that to me, Azores fits the bill.
- And it takes quite a while for him to come up with a set of places that fits, fits the bill.
- Yeah, this is the guy who's been running that department as he did, seeing people off who didn't fit the bill for him.
- I was just a nice guy, but as soon as I get this cable from CIA headquarters, I thought, well, I think that guy might fit the bill.
- If you know anybody who fits the bill in terms of hate or fear of cats, whether they be friends or family members, share this video with them.
- This is probably what many people who we think of as good people actually fit the bill for when we apply Aristotle's ethics.
Examples
-
Robin's restaurant in the "East Village" fits the bill for lunch or dinner.
Blog text (20) -
This new software fits the bill for our project needs perfectly.
-
And you fit the bill.
-
But a new technology appeared that seemed to fit the bill, the telephone exchange.
-
You see anything like that that fits the bill?
-
This one fit the bill nicely, and we're mostly thrilled with how the finished product looks.
-
In short, very few basic physics texts fit the bill of being truly suitable for a fundamental course.
Academic text (2004) -
Alas, no species perfectly fits the bill, although bacteria come close.
Academic text (1993) -
Gary, Indiana, unfortunately fits the bill, with over a third of its population living below the poverty line and one of the highest murder rates in the country.
-
I have been looking for a pair of high waisted kind of like dressy casual soft pants and these fit the bill perfectly.
Synonyms
969
1.0
To match or go well with something
99
4.7
To be enough for what is needed
26
3.5
To be enough to meet a need or purpose
25
6.8
To be suitable for a person or situation
2
4.0
To be right for a particular purpose or need
Antonyms
How Effective
241
3.8
- Informal
80
3.7
- Informal
3
8.1
- Informal
19
3.9
Surface Forms
Morphology
The verb 'fit' (to correspond or satisfy) gives a clear cue toward suitability, but the noun 'bill' in its primary literal sense (an invoice or paper) does not transparently denote 'requirements' for a B1 learner. The overall phrase is idiomatic and requires some prior exposure to map 'the bill' to 'the requirements', so the expression is partially predictable but not fully compositional.
Etymology
Fit the bill may come from old paper 'bills' that listed what was wanted for a job or a show. If someone or something fit the bill, they matched the paper's description, so the phrase now means 'to be suitable or satisfactory'.