in someone's bad books

Unpopular with someone

make the best of a bad job (informal)

To do the best one can in unfavourable circumstances

my bad (US sl)

A phrase used to acknowledge that one has made a mistake

not bad

Fairly good

not half bad (informal)

Pretty good, excellent

take the bad with the good

To accept unpleasant things along with pleasant ones

too bad (informal)

1. What a pity!
2. Regrettable, a shame

to the bad

In deficit

with a bad grace

Ungraciously

book /bŭk/

noun

1. A collection of sheets of paper, etc, bound or otherwise fastened together, either printed, written on, or blank
2. A large-scale literary composition
3. A division of a volume or composition
4. (with the and sometimes cap) the Bible
5. A record of bets made with different people
6. (with the) a telephone directory
7. Any source of information or knowledge
8. A set of rules
9. A libretto
10. A script
11. The first six tricks gained by a side in whist, etc
12. A structure resembling a book
13. (in pl) formal accounts of transactions, eg minutes of meetings, records kept of a business

transitive verb

1. To engage or reserve in advance
2. (of the police, a traffic warden, etc) to take the name of, for an alleged offence
3. Hence, to arrest
4. (of a referee) to enter a player's name in a notebook for an offence (football)
5. To write or enter in a book (archaic)

intransitive verb

To make a reservation in advance

bookˈable adjective

bookˈer noun

One who engages entertainers in advance

bookˈful adjective

Full of information gathered from books

bookˈie noun (informal)

A bookmaker

bookˈing noun

1. A reservation of eg a room in a hotel, a theatre seat, a seat on a plane, train, etc
2. An engagement for the services of someone, usu a performer
3. The taking of a name for an offence

bookˈish adjective

1. Relating to books
2. Fond of books, studious
3. Acquainted only with, and experienced only through books

bookˈishness noun

bookˈless adjective

1. Without books
2. Unlearned

bookˈlet noun

A little book, esp one of only a few pages, saddle-stitched, with paper covers

bookˈsie or bookˈsy adjective

By way of being literary

bookˈy adjective

Bookish

bookˈ-account noun

An account of debt or credit in a book

bookˈbinder noun

A person who binds books

bookˈbindery noun (US)

A place where books are bound

bookˈbinding noun

bookˈ-canvasser noun (obsolete)

A person who goes around soliciting orders for a book

bookˈcase noun

A piece of furniture with shelves for books

book club noun

A society that sells at reduced prices, buys, circulates on loan, or prints books for its members

bookˈ-debt noun

A sum owing to a seller, as shown in the seller's business-books

booked-outˈ or booked-upˈ adjective

1. Full up
2. Unable to accept further reservations, bookings or appointments

bookˈend noun

One of a pair of props for the end of a row of books

transitive verb

To place between two other similar things

book group noun

A group of people who agree to read a particular book and then meet to discuss it (also called reading group)

bookˈ-hand noun (historical)

One of the writing styles used to produce copies of books in manuscript before the invention of printing

bookˈ-holder noun

A prompter in the theatre

booking clerk noun

A person who sells tickets

booking hall noun

booking office noun

An office where reservations are made or tickets sold

bookˈkeeper noun

bookˈkeeping noun

1. The keeping of accounts in a regular and systematic manner
2. The record of the financial transactions of a business

bookˈland noun

(OE bōcland) land taken from the folcland or common land, and granted by bōc or written charter to a private owner

bookˈ-learned /-lûrnˈid/ adjective

bookˈ-learning noun

Learning acquired from books, as opposed to practical knowledge

bookˈlore (Scot bookˈ-lear or buikˈ-lear /-lār/) noun

1. Book-learning
2. Bibliographical lore

bookˈlouse noun (pl bookˈlice)

A wingless insect of the order Psocoptera, which damages books

book lung noun

The respiratory organ in spiders and other arachnids, formed of fine membranes like the leaves of a book

bookˈmaker noun

1. A person who accepts bets at racecourses, etc, and pays out the winnings
2. A person who makes up books from the writings of others, a compiler

bookˈmaking noun

bookˈman noun

A scholar, student

bookˈmark noun

1. A (decorative) strip of leather, fabric, paper, etc, or other object, for marking a particular opening or one's current place in a book (also bookˈmarker)
2. An electronic equivalent in the form of a record of the location of the Internet site, web page, etc

transitive verb

To make an electronic record of

bookˈ-mate noun (Shakespeare)

A companion in study, a schoolfellow

bookˈ-mindedness noun

Habitual direction of the mind towards books

bookˈmobile noun (N American)

A mobile library

bookˈ-muslin noun

Muslin used in bookbinding

bookˈ-oath noun (Shakespeare)

An oath made on the Book or Bible

Book of Changes noun

The I Ching

book of hours see under hour

Book of Life noun

A personal identity document formerly used in South Africa

book of words noun (informal)

Directions for use

bookˈplate noun

A label usually pasted inside the cover of a book, bearing the owner's name or other distinguishing information

bookˈ-post noun

A former name for Media Mail (see under medium)

book price or book value noun

The officially recorded value, not necessarily the market value, of a commodity, etc

bookˈrest noun

A support for a book, a bookstand

bookˈ-scorpion noun

A scorpion-like arachnid found in libraries, probably feeding on booklice

bookˈseller noun

1. A person who sells books
2. Formerly a publisher

bookˈselling noun

bookˈshelf noun

A shelf for books

bookˈshop noun

A shop where books are sold

bookˈstall noun

A stall or stand where books are sold

bookˈstand noun

1. A bookstall
2. A stand or support for holding up a book in reading

bookˈstore noun (N American)

A bookshop

book token noun

A voucher to be exchanged for books of a stated price, given as a gift

book trade noun

The trade of dealing in books

book value see book price above.

bookˈwork noun

1. Study from books, theoretical as opposed to practical work
2. Work on account books, etc

bookˈworm noun

1. A grub that eats holes in books, esp a beetle larva (genus Anobium)
2. A person who is devoted to reading

be on the books

1. To have one's name on an official list
2. To be a member or client

book in

1. To reserve a place or room
2. To register at a hotel

book of original (or prime) entry (bookkeeping)

A book in which the first record of transactions is made, eg before entry in a ledger

book out

To leave a hotel formally, by settling one's bill, handing in one's key, etc

book through

To book as a whole (a journey to be made in parts)

bring to book

To bring to account

by the book

Strictly according to the rules

closed book

A person or subject that is not known or understood at all (cf open book below)

close the book(s) on

To bring to a definite conclusion

get one's books

To be dismissed

in anyone's book

Indeed, without any doubt

in my (etc) book

In my (etc) view

in someone's good (or bad) books

Favourably (or unfavourably) regarded by someone

open book

A person or subject that is well-known or clearly understood (cf closed book above)

read (someone) like a book

To understand thoroughly (usu a person's character or motives)

suit one's book

To be agreeable to or favourable to one

take a leaf out of someone's book

To profit by someone's example

talk like a book

To talk pedantically, or with precision and readiness

throw the book at (informal)

1. To administer a lengthy and detailed reproof to
2. To punish severely

without book

1. From memory
2. Unauthorizedly