Brown Bill
Preserved but no longer current.
A kind of halbert used by English foot-soldiers before muskets were employed. They were staff weapons, with heads like bill-hooks but furnished with spikes at the top and back. The brown probably refers to the rusty condition in which they were kept; though, on the other hand, it may stand for burnished (Dut. brun, shining), as in the old phrases "my bonnie brown sword," "brown as glass," etc.
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 “Brown Bill” mean?
A kind of halbert used by English foot-soldiers before muskets were employed. They were staff weapons, with heads like bill-hooks but furnished with spikes at the top and back. The brown probably refers to the rusty condition in which they were kept; though, on the other hand, it may stand for burnished (Dut. brun, shining), as in the old phrases "my bonnie brown sword," "brown as glass," etc.
Is “Brown Bill” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.