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Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Language/2021 July 25

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July 25

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20-pound bill

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Is it idiomatic British English to speak of a "20-pound bill" rather than a "20-pound note"? Thanks. 2601:648:8202:350:0:0:0:2B99 (talk) 23:00, 25 July 2021 (UTC)[reply]

No, we would never say that. DuncanHill (talk) 23:01, 25 July 2021 (UTC)[reply]
Thanks again. 2601:648:8202:350:0:0:0:2B99 (talk) 23:51, 25 July 2021 (UTC)[reply]
That raises a more general question: Is "bill" ever used in the UK to mean money? Or is that just a USA thing? ←Baseball Bugs What's up, Doc? carrots00:45, 26 July 2021 (UTC)[reply]
A bill, in Britain, is a demand for payment. In American restaurants one asks for the check, and pays with a bill, in Britain one asks for the bill and pays with a cheque. (Of course one doesn't pay with a cheque anymore, but you get my drift). DuncanHill (talk) 01:46, 26 July 2021 (UTC)[reply]
Or it's used for the police, as in The Bill, a usage Americans don't have either, I believe. Fgf10 (talk) 07:13, 26 July 2021 (UTC) [reply]
Not to mention poor old Bill Stickers -- Q Chris (talk) 07:32, 26 July 2021 (UTC)[reply]