bill

Definition:
In a MARKETING context 'bill' can have several meanings including the following. (1) An ACCOUNT of money owed for goods or services. Instead of asking for an invoice, equivalent expression would be 'to ask for the bill'. As an account to pay 'a bill' should not be confused with a receipt, which is issued once an account is paid as proof of payment. In some situations, however, where simple transactions are being undertaken, as in a restaurant or café, a 'bill' and receipt can become interchangeable pieces of paper. The 'bill' serves as a receipt once the payment is made. (2) A draft of a proposed law. While proposed legislation is under discussion in both Houses of Parliament it is a 'Bill'. Once it has passed all the prescribed stages a 'Bill' becomes an Act of Parliament. At the discussion stage it is termed a Parliamentary Bill. (3) A placard or ADVERTISEMENT. Hence the use of the expression 'BILLBOARD' as a description of a POSTER SITE. This expression has an American influence, however, and more correctly in English a 'billboard' would be called a 'hoarding' (though the term is perhaps slightly outdated). In English it could be said that: 'The new poster was to be fixed to the hoarding.' Alternatively the same idea would be conveyed by the Americanized expression: 'The new bill was to be fixed to the billboard.' A small advertisement, a single page, handed out by someone in the street to passers-by can be called a 'handbill'. (4) A BILL OF EXCHANGE. (5) A BILL OF LADING. (6) A bill of fare - a menu.

Cross-References:
[marketing] [account] [advertisement, advert, ad] [billboard] [poster site] [bill of exchange] [bill of lading]

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