Transcription
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- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
- UK Pronunciation
- UK IPA
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- [bahy stressed th ee boo k]
- /baɪ stressed ði bʊk/
- /baɪ ðə bʊk/
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- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
-
- [bahy stressed th ee boo k]
- /baɪ stressed ði bʊk/
Definitions of by the book words
- noun by the book according to the rules; in the prescribed or usual way 3
- noun by the book a handwritten or printed work of fiction or nonfiction, usually on sheets of paper fastened or bound together within covers. 1
- noun by the book a work of fiction or nonfiction in an electronic format: Your child can listen to or read the book online. See also e-book (def 1). 1
- noun by the book a number of sheets of blank or ruled paper bound together for writing, recording business transactions, etc. 1
- noun by the book a division of a literary work, especially one of the larger divisions. 1
- noun by the book the Book, the Bible. 1
Information block about the term
Origin of by the book
First appearance:
before 900 One of the 4% oldest English words
before 900; Middle English, Old English bōc; cognate with Dutch boek, Old Norse bōk, German Buch; akin to Gothic boka letter (of the alphabet) and not of known relation to beech, as is often assumed
Historical Comparancy
Parts of speech for By the book
noun
adjective
verb
adverb
pronoun
preposition
conjunction
determiner
exclamation
by the book popularity
A common word. It’s meaning is known to most children of preschool age. About 100% of English native speakers know the meaning and use the word.
Most Europeans know this English word. The frequency of it’s usage is somewhere between "mom" and "screwdriver".
by the book usage trend in Literature
This diagram is provided by Google Ngram ViewerSynonyms for by the book
adj by the book
- precise — definitely or strictly stated, defined, or fixed: precise directions.
- accurate — careful and exact
- definite — If something such as a decision or an arrangement is definite, it is firm and clear, and unlikely to be changed.
- direct — to manage or guide by advice, helpful information, instruction, etc.: He directed the company through a difficult time.
- on the nose — the part of the face or facial region in humans and certain animals that contains the nostrils and the organs of smell and functions as the usual passageway for air in respiration: in humans it is a prominence in the center of the face formed of bone and cartilage, serving also to modify or modulate the voice.
noun by the book
- style — a particular kind, sort, or type, as with reference to form, appearance, or character: the baroque style; The style of the house was too austere for their liking.
- fashion — a prevailing custom or style of dress, etiquette, socializing, etc.: the latest fashion in dresses.
- behavior — People's or animals' behavior is the way that they behave. You can refer to a typical and repeated way of behaving as a behavior.
- process — a systematic series of actions directed to some end: to devise a process for homogenizing milk.
- practice — habitual or customary performance; operation: office practice.
adv by the book
- according to hoyle — according to the rules and regulations; in the prescribed, fair, or correct way
Antonyms for by the book
adj by the book
- inaccurate — not accurate; incorrect or untrue.
- questionable — of doubtful propriety, honesty, morality, respectability, etc.: questionable activities; in questionable taste.
- false — not true or correct; erroneous: a false statement.
- careless — If you are careless, you do not pay enough attention to what you are doing, and so you make mistakes, or cause harm or damage.
- inexact — not exact; not strictly precise or accurate.
noun by the book
- lawlessness — contrary to or without regard for the law: lawless violence.
- impropriety — the quality or condition of being improper; incorrectness.
- disarrange — to disturb the arrangement of; disorder; unsettle.
- disorganization — a breaking up of order or system; disunion or disruption of constituent parts.
- shapeless — having no definite or regular shape or form: a shapeless mass of clay.
See also
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