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open book

open book

12 3.5
A person whose feelings and thoughts are easy to understand
  • noun
  • /ˈoʊpən bʊk/
  • Informal
translation icon : libro abierto
  • My life's an open book.
  • life's an open book
  • heart an open book
  • open-book management

I'm I'm seriously like an open book and I welcome any of that.

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Examples

  • I am an open book, whereas he is more mysterious.

    Blog text (13)
  • My life is an open book.

  • Is my life an open book?

    Fiction book (1990)
  • When you are running for president, you should be an open book.

    Blog text (18)
  • You've always been an open book.

  • The life of a genuine Sadhu is an open book.

    Blog text (15)
  • As I've said elsewhere, I'm an open book.

    Blog text (20)
  • At this point, it's like, I feel like I've been an open book, which is awesome because I think the most authentic things create also more authentic things.

  • She is an open book who shares her thoughts and feelings without hesitation.

  • Unlike many people, he is an open book, making it easy to understand his motives.

Antonyms

71 4.9

A person who does not tell others about their plans or feelings

27 8.1

Hard to understand and often seems mysterious

How Open

open book
  • Informal
12 3.5
transparent
43 3.5
open
702 1.0
reserved
3.7
secretive
71 4.9

Surface Forms

open book singular
open books plural

Morphology

open + book

The figurative meaning is directly derivable from the literal image of a book that is open and therefore easy to read; applying that image to a person (someone whose feelings are easy to read) follows a simple, transparent metaphor. This metaphorical mapping is common and accessible to learners who know 'open' and 'book', so a B1 learner would likely infer the meaning without prior exposure.

Etymology

The phrase open book comes from the picture of a book with its pages open, so anyone can read everything inside. That's why calling someone an open book means they are 'easy to understand' and 'do not hide anything'.