open a book
make a book = open a book
take bets and pay out winnings on the outcome of a race or other contest or event
Related Idioms and Phrases :
be in someone's black books
be in disfavour with someone.
Although a black book was generally an official book in which misdemeanours and their perpetrators were noted down, this phrase perhaps originated in the black bound book in which evidence of monastic scandals and abuses was recorded by Henry VIH's commissioners in the 1530s, before the suppression of the monasteries.
bring someone to book
bring someone to justice
punish someone
by the book
strictly according to the rules
close the books
make no further entries at the end of an accounting period
cease trading
a closed book
a thing of which you have no knowledge or understanding
1944 - Frank Clune - The Red Heart - The desert is an open book to the man of the Vast Open Spaces, but to the schoolmaster it was a closed book.
cook the books
alter records, especially accounts, with fraudulent intent or in order to mislead – informal
Cook has been used since the mid 17th century in this figurative sense of tamper with or manipulate.
in someone's bad books = in someone's good books
in disfavour (or favour) with someone
on the books
contained in a list of members, employees or clients
read someone like a book
be able to understand someone's thoughts and motives clearly or easily
suit someone's book
be convenient or acceptable to someone – British
take a leaf out of someone's book
closely imitate or emulate someone in a particular way.
1999 - London Student – May be the other colleges should take a leaf out of Imperial's book and try pub games instead of sports.
throw the book at
charge or punish someone as severely as possible or permitted - informal
open a book :
Idioms Index – Previous Page
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