by the book
55
3.9
- idiom
- Informal
:
al pie de la letra
- It's strictly by the book today.
- go by the book
We're going to handle our finances by the book.
- We're going to handle our finances by the book.
- He is by the book very much that way in his personality.
- They got a guy who was past his prime and boy, he he just he was too by the book and history could have been very different, but OK.
- But he was working with the New York team and they were let's like just to simplify it like they were the, the the more by the book successful.
Examples
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But it remains in Seth's best interest, and ours, to handle everything in an official, by-the-book manner.
Fiction book (1999) -
As you are well aware, we're keen on doing things by the book.
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We said from the start that we're gonna do this by the book.
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You did everything by the book.
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We did it by the book.
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- Yeah, but we go by the book.
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From here on out, this situation will be handled by the book.
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Well, in Beverly Hills we go strictly by the book.
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In our company, we ensure that all safety procedures are followed by the book to avoid any accidents.
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The manager insisted that the project be executed by the book to meet all regulatory standards.
Synonyms
103
3.7
Someone acts in a careful way that follows rules exactly
23
4.4
Act exactly as told, without changing any detail
14
4.9
In a very careful and strict way that follows rules closely
8
4.8
To do something in a careful, exact way that follows set rules
1
9.6
In a way that follows accepted rules
In a way that agrees with rules or standards
Antonyms
How Strict
Surface Forms
Morphology
by + the + book
The meaning 'strictly according to rules' is directly inferable from 'by' (indicating accordance) + 'the book' (a source or compilation of rules), so the phrase literally means 'according to the book/rules'. This aligns with a common English pattern ('by' + noun = in accordance with) and has clear parallels in many languages, making it readily understandable to a B1 learner who knows the constituent words.
Etymology
By the book may come from the image of someone doing every step while reading a rule book. That's why it means 'strictly according to rules'.