Idiom
Foot the bill
To foot the bill means to pay for something, often something costly, especially when others don't.
How people use it
People use it for parents, employers, insurers, taxpayers and anyone left paying: "Who's going to foot the bill?" It often suggests the cost is a burden or that someone else caused it. The tone is informal to neutral and common in news writing. It does not always mean paying alone, though it usually suggests that one person or group covers the full cost.
Examples
- My parents footed the bill for my first car.
- The school will foot the bill for the field trip.
- Who's going to foot the bill for the broken window?
Where it comes from
In bookkeeping, to foot an account meant to add up the figures and write the total at the bottom, or foot, of the page. From totaling the bill, the meaning shifted to settling it, that is, paying. The sense of paying for something is recorded from the early 1800s.
Check yourself
1. If the company foots the bill for your training, what happens?
Answer: The company pays for it. Foot the bill means pay the cost.
2. Where does the word foot in this idiom come from?
Answer: The total written at the bottom of an account. To foot an account meant to add it up at the bottom.
Similar idioms
Word game fan? See every word hiding in BILL.