Hello, you have come here looking for the meaning of the word
turn up for the book. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
turn up for the book, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
turn up for the book in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
turn up for the book you have here. The definition of the word
turn up for the book will help you to be more precise and correct when speaking or writing your texts. Knowing the definition of
turn up for the book, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.
English
Alternative forms
Etymology
Originally from racecourse betting, from turn up (“stroke of luck”) and book (“record of betting; bookmaker”).
Pronunciation
Noun
turn up for the book (plural (rare) turn ups for the book)
- (idiomatic) A very unexpected, usually pleasant, surprise.
1987, Edward Dryhurst, Gilt Off the Gingerbread, →OCLC:Her mother kept well away from us, which was a turn up for the book, and for the time being at any rate, I was a model husband.
2000 March 12, Stuart Barnes, “Swindon stunner for Curbishley”, in The Guardian, →ISSN:What a turn up for the book. After 12 successive league wins […] Charlton were nobbled by the First Division's no-hopers, who profited from a goalkeeping bloomer then held on to their lead for dear life.
2011, Michael Frayn, My Father's Fortune: A Life, →ISBN, page 104:All these turn ups for the book had lasting consequences.
2013, David Stuart Davies, A Taste for Blood, →ISBN:'Well, boyo, this is a turn up for the book,' observed my friend David Llewellyn without a trace of irony. 'I never expected to wind up in a hospital bed next to you.'π
Usage notes
Derived terms
Translations
Further reading
- Gary Martin (1997–) “A turn up for the books”, in The Phrase Finder.
- Eric Partridge (2005) “turn-up for the books”, in Tom Dalzell and Terry Victor, editors, The New Partridge Dictionary of Slang and Unconventional English, volumes 2 (J–Z), London, New York, N.Y.: Routledge, →ISBN, page 2021.