English
Noun
good books pl (plural only)
- (idiomatic) Favorable regard; personal approval; kindly treatment.
- 1849, Charlotte Brontë, Shirley, ch. 11:
- "[D]o you like him?'"
- "Not at all, just now: his name is entirely blotted from my good books."
- "What is the matter? What has he done?"
- "My uncle and he disagree on politics," interposed the low voice of Caroline.
- 1870, Charles Reade, Put Yourself in His Place, ch. 6:
- [U]nfortunately, I was out of her good books, and had orders not to speak to her.
- 1876, Anthony Trollope, The Prime Minister, ch. 2:
- [H]e has a cold way of looking at me which makes me think I am not in his good books.
- 1996 Nov. 14, Joe Lapointe, "Rangers Go Quiet Into a Bad Night," New York Times (retrieved 1 Jan 2013):
- Neil Smith, the president and general manager, said Momesso "was not in our good books" with no goals, no assists and frequent benchings for lethargic play.
- 2002, Mil Millington, Things My Girlfriend and I Have Argued About: A Novel, ISBN 9780812966664, (Google preview):
- "Tell them we've paid extra to apologize for the inconvenience, eh? You'll be in their good books right off."
Usage notes
- Usually found in the phrase "in [someone's] good books".
Synonyms
See also