off bookadv.adj.

1705 W. Sheridan Several Disc. xii. 282 They commend the Preacher for bawling loud, and making wry faces.., and Preaching off Book such stuff as is impossible for a considering person to write.

1762 S. Derrick Coll. Trav. II. xii. 80 They lent him a New Testament, which he sat himself down to read with great care, and in six months was able to repeat every line of it off book.

1876 G. O. Trevelyan Life & Lett. Macaulay II. xiv. 378 He soon could repeat off book the entire roll of the House of Lords.

1900 Times 2 Jan. 12/5 The first class, or first division of the threefold class, repeated the lines from memory... The lines said were then construed, still off book.

1999 A. Sohn Run catch Kiss (2000) 45 I hated her for talking down to me, for forcing me to do the scene off book, and for making me audition with a child.

1976 N.Y. Times 22 May 31/1 Some of the questionable payments appear to have been made from an off-book fund maintained in one foreign country.

1985 Wall St. Jrnl. (Electronic ed.) 4 Feb. Congress and the administration have taken a number of steps to police tax evasion and slow the growth of the underground or ‘off-book’ economy.

2004 R. J. Burke & C. L. Cooper Leading in Turbulent Times i. 14 As many as 3,000 off-book partnerships were created, at least in part to hide massive debts and inflate profits.

1981 Shakes. Q. 32 221/2 Proteus was like an actor practicing the role of lover and not yet off book.

1986 R. K. Bank in W. B. Durham Amer. Theatre Companies 517 For..failure to be off book by the last rehearsal..fines were imposed or dismissal could result.

1991 Los Angeles Times (Electronic ed.) 22 Sept. He carried a script in a couple of scenes where Cap'n Andy carries a script in the story, but otherwise he was ‘off book’.

2002 J. Eugenides Middlesex iii. 332 Antigone has far and away the most lines..so if Antigone wants to be off book, then I think the rest of you should be off book, too.