Book Idioms
Book idioms use words from reading, studying, or books to talk about life and people. These expressions help us describe actions, feelings, and ideas in a fun way. Here are 15 book idioms, what they mean, and how to use them in simple English.
Don’t judge a book by its cover
Don’t decide what someone or something is like just by how it looks.
By the book
To follow the rules exactly and do things the proper way.
An open book
A person who is easy to understand or who shares their feelings.
Read between the lines
To find the hidden meaning, not just what is said.
Take a leaf out of someone’s book
To copy someone’s good behavior or idea.
Hit the books
To start studying very seriously.
In someone’s good books
Someone is happy with you or approves of you.
In someone’s bad books
Someone is not happy with you or is annoyed.
The oldest trick in the book
A trick or method that is very common and well-known.
Cook the books
To change numbers or records to cheat, especially with money.
A closed book
Something that is hard to understand or not talked about.
Read someone like a book
To know what someone is thinking or feeling easily.
Turn the page
To move on from something in the past and start fresh.
A bookworm
A person who loves reading a lot.
The whole book thrown at (someone)
To punish someone very seriously.
