billy

¹

[ bil-ee ]

noun

, plural bil·lies.

1. Also called billy club. a police officer's club or baton.
2. a heavy wooden stick used as a weapon; cudgel.
3. Scot. Dialect. comrade.
4. Also called bil·ly·can [bil, -ee-kan]. Australian. any container in which water may be carried and boiled over a campfire, ranging from a makeshift tin can to a special earthenware kettle; any pot or kettle in which tea is boiled over a campfire.
5. Textiles. (in Great Britain) a roving machine.

Billy

²

[ bil-ee ]

noun

1. a first name, often a form of William.

billy

¹

/ ˈbɪlɪˌkæn; ˈbɪlɪ /

noun

1. a metal can or pot for boiling water, etc, over a campfire
2. ( as modifier )

   billy-tea

3. informal.
   to make tea

billy

²

/ ˈbɪlɪ /

noun

1. a wooden club esp a police officer's truncheon

Word History and Origins

Origin of billy¹

Perhaps all independently derived generic uses of Billy (male name); for Australian sense compare Scots dialect billy-pot cooking pot

Word History and Origins

Origin of billy¹

C19: from Scot billypot cooking vessel

Origin of billy²

C19: special use of the name Billy , pet form of William

Example Sentences

“There was a handful of cops on the other side with billy clubs. And when they came over that fence, they met them with a couple whacks to the head and dragged them off.”

From Seattle Times

Then, police officers attacked protesters with billy clubs, dragging them out of Grant Park in a show of bloody force.

From New York Times

“They were praying when the billy clubs struck.”

From Seattle Times

He called California’s billy club ban “a very vague and nebulous law that has been abused for decades in California.”

From Los Angeles Times

Weapons such as billy clubs have been outlawed in some form or other in California since at least 1917, with exceptions for law enforcement officers and some state-licensed security guards, the Times said.

From Seattle Times

Related Words

• cudgel
• mace
• nightstick
• rod
• truncheon
• wand