a true bill
Preserved but no longer current.
Under the old judicial system before a case went to the criminal Assizes it was examined by the Grand Jury whose duty it was to decide whether or not there was sufficient evidence to justify a trial. If they decided that there was they were said "to find a true bill"; if, on the other hand, they decided there was not sufficient evidence they were said "to ignore the bill.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “a true bill” mean?
Under the old judicial system before a case went to the criminal Assizes it was examined by the Grand Jury whose duty it was to decide whether or not there was sufficient evidence to justify a trial. If they decided that there was they were said "to find a true bill"; if, on the other hand, they decided there was not sufficient evidence they were said "to ignore the bill.
Is “a true bill” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.