People only just realising what it means if someone is a ‘friend of Bill’s’

There are a load of phrases and colloquialisms we hear on a day-to-day basis.

Whether you hear 'it's raining cats and dogs', 'I'm so hungry I could eat a horse' or, my personal favourite, 'piece of cake' - it's clear many of us are more than used to hearing a phrase which has meanings deeper than what it would first seem.

Other phrases, however, are clearly far more rare, as people are only now just realising what it means if someone is a 'friend of Bill W'.

Have you ever heard the phrase 'a friend of Bill's' at an airport? (d3sign / Getty Images)

Taking to Reddit, one person shared: "I’ve now heard two different airports ask for a 'friend of Bill W' to come to a gate.

"ATLANTA and Denver both had this over the intercom. does this mean anything or is it just an odd coincidence?"

It didn't take long for people to share exactly what the phrase meant.

Interestingly, 'a friend of Bill W' is actually Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) lingo and was commonly used at places like airports or holiday destinations so that people could connect with others who have had similar experiences and receive assistance without having to publicly discuss their own difficulties with addiction.

It doesn't actually refer to an active person in the programme, as it's a code phrase of sorts aimed at protecting group members’ anonymity, Addictions.com explains.

But where does the code phrase even come from?

Well, it's simply a reference to the likes of Bill Wilson, also known as Bill W, who is one of the founding members of AA, along with Dr. Bob Smith.

This means that anyone who is a friend of Bill W, by default, is also a member of Alcoholics Anonymous.

The phrase can help AA members anonymously connect without having to publicly discuss their own difficulties with addiction (Getty Stock Image)

Responding to the query, one Redditer replied: "'Friends of Bill W' refers to the co-founder of Alcoholics Anonymous, Bill Wilson. If a recovering alcoholic is at an airport having a difficult time resisting drinking, they can have a random co-recovering AA member paged that's available in the airport show up and help them by requesting 'a friend of Bill W'.

"It’s an AA (Alcoholics Anonymous) thing," stated another. "Code for someone looking for other AA members for support. You’ll also see 'Friends of Bill' meetings on cruise ships."

And a third praised: "That’s actually quite sweet."

Another person questioned whether the phrase is still in use in a separate thread.

"Old-timers: Is asking if you're a Friend of Bill W still common?" they asked.

"After having many years in AA, I find many younger people don't know what I'm asking if I'm a Friend of Bill (or Bob). As in: "I'm going, but I don't drink."

"Me: 'Oh yeah? (leans in a bit) Are you a friend of Bill W?' 'Who?'"

One commenter shared: "I've been asked once and it was 10 years ago."

"I am sober 20 years in two stretches and don't think I've ever been asked or asked that question," echoed a second.

And a final Redditer added: "I think the 'code' is sort of erased with everyone being online now and privacy has changed."

Have you ever heard the phrase?

Please drink responsibly. If you want to discuss any issues relating to alcohol in confidence, contact Drinkline on 0300 123 1110, 9am–8pm weekdays and 11am–4pm weekends for advice and support.