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View synonyms for black book

black book

noun

  1. a book of names of people liable to censure or punishment.


black book

noun

  1. a book containing the names of people to be punished, blacklisted, etc
  2. in someone's black books informal.
    out of favour with someone
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Word History and Origins

Origin of black book1

First recorded in 1470–80
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Idioms and Phrases

Idioms
  1. in someone's black books, in disfavor with someone.
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Example Sentences

But each time I got a new backpack, briefcase or computer bag, I would carefully move the black book to a safe pocket, where its very presence gave me solace.

And in this box, as you say, I came across this little black book, and it was tied with cream ribbon.

From Salon

When Smith and Mealamu approached Kahui on his first day, Smith - by now a senior player - handed him a black book.

From BBC

It goes back to the execution thing — you do your sketch in your little black book, and when you go out, you try your best to duplicate what you planned.

How Juventus plunged into a crisis: Wiretaps, a “black book” and exposed WhatsApp messages have left one of Europe’s greatest soccer clubs under siege.

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.

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