English Expressions with ‘Book’!

by Melanie on November 18, 2010

(Photo by dolmansaxlil)

a bookworm

= someone who likes to read books and reads a lot!

My sister is a real bookworm – she always has her head in a book!

to hit the books

= to study/begin studying, usually intensely

My final exams start in 2 weeks. It’s time to hit the books!

(to do something) by the book

= to follow the rules carefully and exactly

The police were very cautious and carried out the investigation by the book.
We did everything by the book but the bank still would not give us a loan.

Don’t judge a book by its cover! / You can’t judge a book by its cover!

= don’t judge (form an opinion about) someone because of what they look like! Whether or not a book is good does not depend on its cover, so what we think about other people should not be based on what they look like

Just because she looks like a punk doesn’t mean she’s a bad person – don’t judge a book by its cover!

to throw the book at someone

= to punish someone (usually a criminal) as harshly and severely as possible (usually by the court system)

He’s already been arrested twice for driving without a licence. If he’s caught a third time, the judge will throw the book at him.

to take/to borrow a leaf/page out of someone’s book

*A ‘leaf’ in this context is a sheet of paper.
= to copy what someone else is doing because they’re successful at it

Lynn looks amazing! She’s lost so much weight. I should really take a page out of her book and start going to the gym more.

Every trick in the book

= try something every way possible, do everything you can

We tried every trick in the book but we just couldn’t get the baby to smile!
He tried every trick in the book to get her attention, but she would not agree to go on a date with him!

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