by the book

to do something according to the rules

TRANSLATION

to do something by the book = sich an die Vorschriften halten; sich an die Regeln halten; den Amtsschimmel reiten

STATISTICS

IN THE PRESS

Mr Lissack added that at the time, Balfour Beatty's maintenance of the "southern end" of the line - the first 43 miles from King's Cross - was totally inadequate and that the company knew it.

"The problems were so bad and numerous that had thnigs been done according to the book, King's Cross Station would have been shut completely..." he said.

(Guardian Unlimited - 31st January 2005)

Did you
know?

by the book
idiom

Strictly according to the rules, as in
"Our trip leader is going by the book, allowing us to wander off only for short periods."

Shakespeare already used the term figuratively in Romeo and Juliet (1:5): "You kiss by the book."

Source: The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer


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"When you are brand new to a job, it's wise to work by the book for the first few months"

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