issue an IOU; issue an informal receipt
Meanings
2 senses · 5 examplesverb
issue an informal receipt or voucher
informalOften implies a temporary, non-standard, or unofficial document acknowledging a transaction or debt, lacking the full force of formal financial paperwork.
The shopkeeper first issued him an informal receipt, saying they would settle the bill together at the end of the month.
For this kind of emergency purchase, the finance department can't process it in time, so they can only issue an informal voucher for now.
verb
pay with an IOU instead of cash
informalCommon in contexts like government procurement of agricultural products or in situations where immediate cash payment is unavailable. The 'white slip' (白条) itself is the IOU.
When the grain station purchases grain from farmers, sometimes if funds are tight, they pay with an IOU first.
The contractor gave the workers IOUs, promising to cash them once the project payment comes through.
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That year when we sold cotton, we received many IOUs, which weren't converted to cash until the end of the year.