Obs. [f. WATCH sb. + BILL sb.1] A watchman’s bill or halberd.
1665. Depos. Cast. York (Surtees), 128. He had slaine a monster with one watch bill or broome hooke. Ibid. (1688), 284. One James Turpin, who was one of the watch,… endeavoured to putt out the fire with his watchbill.
c. 1830[?]. A. Wilson, in Axon, Folk Song Lancs. (1870), 36. There’s snakes an’ watchbills, just loike poikes.
