# Another phrase origin question - "to book" **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 18, 2008, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-phrase-origin-question-to-book/438128 "2008-02-18T18:11:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Hello\_Newman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Hello\_Newman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hello_Newman)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2008, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-phrase-origin-question-to-book/438128/1 "2008-02-18T18:11:30Z")
When I was a kid, we used to say “let’s book” or “he booked,” meaning to leave somewhere quickly. I had forgotten all about this, except I just read it somewhere. Does anyone know where the phrase came from? ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2008, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-phrase-origin-question-to-book/438128/2 "2008-02-18T18:44:35Z")
[QUOTE=Hello Newman] When I was a kid, we used to say “let’s book” or “he booked,” meaning to leave somewhere quickly. I had forgotten all about this, except I just read it somewhere. Does anyone know where the phrase came from? [/QUOTE] I don’t know where it came from, but when I was in grade school and we were going over verbs/nouns/adjectives etc, the teacher told us all to write down a verb, then we all read ours out loud one at a time. I thought of exactly what you said and wrote book. I felt stupid when I realized that, while I DID know what a verb was, no one else was going to except ‘book’ as one. ---
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2008, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-phrase-origin-question-to-book/438128/3 "2008-02-18T18:49:28Z")
[QUOTE=Joey P] I felt stupid when I realized that, while I DID know what a verb was, no one else was going to except ‘book’ as one. [/QUOTE] Or perhaps everyone else would “except” it by refusing to accept it. ---
**Author:** ![Windwalker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/5e9695/32.png) [@Windwalker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Windwalker)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2008, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-phrase-origin-question-to-book/438128/4 "2008-02-18T19:02:11Z")
Isn’t it a standard police term now? “Book’im, Lou!” ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2008, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-phrase-origin-question-to-book/438128/5 "2008-02-18T20:14:12Z")
[QUOTE=Windwalker] Isn’t it a standard police term now? “Book’im, Lou!” [/QUOTE] But that has nothing to do with running, that means take them down to the station and get all their info. (put them on the books). ---
**Author:** ![Peanuthead](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peanuthead/32/360_2.png) [@Peanuthead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peanuthead)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2008, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-phrase-origin-question-to-book/438128/6 "2008-02-18T20:27:05Z")
Probably comes from an old blues song. **Sweet Home Chicago**. _One and one is two Two and two is fo’ something, something, something I’m **booked** , I gotta go._ ---
**Author:** ![chrisk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@chrisk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chrisk)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2008, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-phrase-origin-question-to-book/438128/7 "2008-02-18T20:59:13Z")
And then, there’s the sense of ‘book’ that is generally synonymous with ‘reserve’ - “They booked me on the redeye to San Diego”, etc. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2008, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-phrase-origin-question-to-book/438128/8 "2008-02-18T21:04:23Z")
I’m not sure if this is the actual origin, but the OED, has a phrase “to book out” or “to book off” meaning “to leave”: > [@OED](#): > > 1902 Daily Chron. 13 May 10/5 Baker’s..Bookkeeper.Young lady required, with good experience, to book men and keep books. Ibid., Wanted young lady,..one able to book in. Ibid., Shopwoman wanted, capable of **booking out** men. 1928 Observer 3 Feb. 12/7 To-night he drives his engine for the last time. To-morrow he ‘ **books off** ’..and the Line knows him no more. One could see how “Let’s book out” could be shortened to “Let’s book,” but it’s not conclusive. ---
**Author:** ![Lanzy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/74df32/32.png) [@Lanzy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lanzy)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2008, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-phrase-origin-question-to-book/438128/9 "2008-02-18T22:01:51Z")
Just guessing: Comes from Bug out? Then got mispronouced a lot. maybe? oh, and bug out came from watching bugs scurry away. damn, gotta quit just guessing. ---
**Author:** ![Themenin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ee59a6/32.png) [@Themenin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Themenin)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2008, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-phrase-origin-question-to-book/438128/10 "2008-02-18T22:15:26Z")
I seem to recall hearing people saying ‘book in’ and ‘book out’ of a hotel, probably the british equivalent of ‘check in’, ‘check out’. Presumably the ‘book’ in question is the guest register. Now, how that britishism would make it across the Atlantic to American teenagers - I blame it on pop music.