English for Today by Ganiu Abisoye Bamgbose (Dr GAB)
Book in Idioms
She cooked the ~book~ to enrich herself (nonstandard).
She cooked the books to enrich herself (standard). To alter facts or figures dishonestly is to cook the books.
It takes humility to be in another person’s good ~book~ (nonstandard).
It takes humility to be in another person’s good books (standard). To be liked by someone is to be in the person’s good books.
Civil servants engage in off-the- ~book~ transactions (nonstandard).
Civ servants engage in off-the- books transactions (standard). An activity that is not reported is said to be off-the-books.
GAB
