Definition of be by the book

by the book    

adjective

• strictly following procedure.

  Our accountants are very by the book. I doubt the IRS audit will find anything interesting.

  Last edited on Dec 22 2012. Submitted by Walter Rader (Editor) from Sacramento, CA, USA on Dec 22 2012.

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Other terms relating to 'book':
book	Definitions include: to leave quickly.
book it	Definitions include: to move very fast.
book smarts	Definitions include: knowledge gained from reading and studying.
central booking	Definitions include: a lock-up in a local police station.
close the book	Definitions include: to end.
cooked books	Definitions include: manipulated accounting records.
cook the books	Definitions include: to change accounting records to hide fraud or other crimes.
go off-book	Definitions include: to not follow the script.
hit the books	Definitions include: to prepare for school.
one for the books	Definitions include: something extremely notable.
slam book	Definitions include: a paper notebook passed between peers at a school, in which they write mean things about classmates and others.
throw the book at	Definitions include: to prosecute to the full extent of the law.
Other terms relating to 'by':
5 by 5	Definitions include: See five by five.
BTW	Definitions include: acronym for "by the way".
by and by	Definitions include: eventually.
by George	Definitions include: general exclamation.
by (one's) lonesome	Definitions include: by oneself.
by the skin of (one's) teeth	Definitions include: narrowly.
drive-by	Definitions include: an execution carried out with firearms shot from a moving vehicle.
eaten by snakes	Definitions include: something disappeared under unknown circumstances.
five by five	Definitions include: fine, good, okay.
fly-by-night	Definitions include: adjective.
have by the short hairs	Definitions include: to catch or trap a person in a difficult situation.
have by the throat	Definitions include: to have the advantage in a situation.
have the world by the balls	Definitions include: to be in a very good position in life, business, etc.
live life by the drop	Definitions include: To live with the present being the most important; to live a dream or to understand the unchanging world, so to speak.
not by a long shot	Definitions include: it is usually defined as "definitely not, no way etc."
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Other terms relating to 'the':
101 scoop, the	Definitions include: the real information or the proof, instruction, the know how, where, when, and why about something or someone.
2-10, the	Definitions include: walking, generally as opposed to driving.
3rd degree, the	Definitions include: interrogation.
3 sheets to the wind	Definitions include: extremely intoxicated
411, the	Definitions include: information.
a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.	Definitions include: something you have now is worth more than two things you have just a chance of getting.
about the size of it	Definitions include: a good estimate.
ace in the hole	Definitions include: a secret advantage.
across the board	Definitions include: inclusive.
add fuel to the fire	Definitions include: to make a bad situation worse.
against the clock	Definitions include: with the amount of time left to finish a task rapidly disappearing.
ahead of the curve	Definitions include: having an opinion or belief prior to it becoming common or popular.
aim Archie at the adamant	Definitions include: of a male, to urinate.
ain't no fun when the rabbit got the gun	Definitions include: Someone being butthurt over having something, they do to others regularly, done to the them
a little on the side	Definitions include: secret sexual activity with a person other than one's partner.
(show 1409 morehide)

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