The listening lesson “Library Books” is about my bad habit of never returning my library books on time. Let’s take a look at some English expressions with ‘book’!
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!
Melanie is a TESL-certified English teacher. She lives near Toronto, Canada. Through her blog, videos, podcasts, and social media, she helps thousands of people around the world improve their English. She makes English a little less confusing and a little more fun! She also helps people understand Canadian and American culture. She believes that natural interaction with a native speaker helps people practice what they have learned and builds their confidence with English!
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
Good post. I liked so much. Congratulations and thank you for that post.
Hi, Ricardo!
Thank you for taking the time to leave a comment! I'm glad you liked it.
Take care,
Melanie
= )
The judge will throw the book at him!!
This expression is funny even though I may not use a lot.
Hi, Hana!
Thanks for leaving a comment! Yes, it's funny to picture someone actually throwing a book at someone! You may not use this expression a lot, but you may hear it in American TV shows or movies = )
Take care,
Melanie