It turns out "advice" instead of "bill" ain't that stupid after all

Perhaps I spoke too soon yesterday when I was complaining about the FedEx invoice wording. A real life debt reader wrote to me explaining that "Just fyi, the use of "advice" in this context isn't a stupid phrase; it might be a bit outdated or formalistic, but it does have a specific legal meaning.

To quote Black's, an advice is an "instruction usually given by one merchant or banker to another by letter, informing him of shipments made to him, or of bills or drafts drawn on him, with particulars of date, or sight, the sum, and the payee."

So now I know! Next time I have to get my boss to pay me, I'll say that I'm sending a memo of "remittance advice" instead. :-)