brown-bill
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English
[edit]Etymology
[edit]From brown + bill; see bill (“polearm”).
Pronunciation
[edit]Noun
[edit]brown-bill (plural brown-bills)
- (historical) A type of halberd used by medieval foot-soldiers and constables, painted brown to prevent rust.
- 1599, [Thomas] Nashe, “[The Epistle Dedicatorie]”, in Nashes Lenten Stuffe, […], London: […] [Thomas Judson and Valentine Simmes] for N[icholas] L[ing] and C[uthbert] B[urby] […], →OCLC:
- Let the Kanne of ſtrong ale [be] your conſtable, with the toaſte his browne bill, and ſugar and nutmegs his watchmen ſtand in a readineſſe, to entertaine mee euerie time I come by your lodging.
- 1819, Walter Scott, Ivanhoe:
- The tramp of horses was now heard, and the Lady Rowena appeared, surrounded by several riders, and a much stronger party of footmen, who joyfully shook their pikes and clashed their brown-bills for joy of her freedom.