E. Cobham Brewer 1810–1897. Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 1898.
Bullet.
Every bullet has its billet. Nothing happens by chance, and no act
is altogether without some effect. “There is a divinity that shapes our ends, rough hew them as we will.” Another meaning is this: an arrow or bullet is not discharged at random, but at some mark or for some deliberate purpose.
1
“Let the arrow fly that has a mark.”—Cæsar Borgia, chap. xx.
