bill of health

noun

1. a certificate, carried by a ship, attesting to the presence or absence of infectious diseases among the ship's crew and at the port from which it has come.

bill of health

noun

1. a certificate, issued by a port officer, that attests to the health of a ship's company
2. clean bill of health informal.
   1. a good report of one's physical condition
   2. a favourable account of a person's or a company's financial position

Word History and Origins

Origin of bill of health¹

First recorded in 1635–45

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. clean bill of health, an attestation of fitness or qualification; a commendation:

   The investigating committee gave him a clean bill of health.

Example Sentences

But whether USC will have a clean bill of health by then remains to be seen.

From Los Angeles Times

She steadily improved and within a year got a clean bill of health.

From Science Magazine

Mr. Slayman was discharged from the hospital two weeks after his surgery, with “one of the cleanest bills of health I’ve had in a long time,” he said at the time.

From New York Times

"We haven't given Israel a clean bill of health - Israel's performance on aid has not been good enough."

From BBC

Thursday and again Friday morning before getting a clean enough bill of health to take part in everything Saturday.

From Seattle Times