to keep open account
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
Merchants are said to keep open account when they agree to honour each other's bills of exchange.
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 “to keep open account” mean?
Merchants are said to keep open account when they agree to honour each other's bills of exchange.
Is “to keep open account” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.