| 词汇 | fill the bill |
| 词源 | fill the bill. Theatrical companies in the 19th century adver- tised mainly on posters and handbills that were distributed in towns by advance men several weeks before a show came to town. The name of the troupe’s star performer was featured on these bills in large letters, to the exclusion of the rest of the company—he or she filled the bill, was the show’s star. Soon the vivid image behind this theatrical expression meaning “to star” came to encompass a more complex, broader thought, and by 1860 to fill the bill meant “to be very competent, effective, to do all that is desired, expected, or required.” |
| 随便看 |
|
英语词源词典收录了13259条英语词源词条，基本涵盖了全部常用英语词汇的起源、历史，是研究英语词汇或通过词源学英语的必备工具。