in the bad books
in the bad books
or, in someone’s bad books
Meaning
- out of favour
- to be in disgrace
- in a situation when someone is disliked
- in a state in which one is mistreated
- If you are in someone’s bad books, they are angry with you.
Example Sentences
- Maria remains in his bad books after the argument between both.
- My son was in everyone’s bad books right from the first day of school.
- Jenny is in the bad books of the team because of her bad behaviour.
- I littered the house with rubbish yesterday. Therefore I’m in Mom’s bad books now.
- John does something stupid, and now he’s in my bad books.
- Emma never likes to do anything wrong or be in your bad books.
- I don’t want to look like a stalker in your eyes or don’t want to be in your bad books.
Origin
Even before Middle Ages, books are being used to keep the identity and reckoning of a person. And the phrase “out of someone’s books” has been in vogue since then, which means to get out of someone’s life.
The phrase “out of someone’s books” is pretty ancient and recorded figuratively in 1509, The Parlyament of Deuylles, that reads:
“He is out of our bokes, and we out of his.”
The term “bad books” originated a little later, and the earliest printed record can be traced back to 1861 in Perry’s History of the Church of England:
“The Arminians, who at that time were in his bad books.”
Share your opinions1 Opinion
On your entry relating to the phrase “in the good books” you say that the usage of “bad books” came first with “good books” coming later as it’s opposite.
In your entry here on “bad books” you say that the earliest printed record of that idiom was 1861. The conclusion then is that “good books” came some time after 1861. But the line “I see he is not in your good books” appears in ‘Much Ado About Nothing’ which was written by Shakespeare in 1612.
Did you do any research whatsoever in creating this page or are you just kind of making it up? I mean, you missed Shakespeare.
‒ Jerry September 26, 2021