Open Book, an

Meaning of Idiom ‘An Open Book’

An open book is someone or something that is easy to understand or interpret; clear; straightforward; easy to solve; an honest and frank person. 1Kirkpatrick, Elizabeth M. The Wordsworth Dictionary of Idioms. Ware: Wordsworth, 1995.,2Ammer, Christine. American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2013.,3Jarvie, Gordon. Bloomsbury Dictionary of Idioms. London: Bloomsbury, 2009.

See the related idiom read someone like a book.

See the antonym a closed book.

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Usage

This expression, alluding to a book lying open so that anyone can easily read it, is usually used to describe a person, especially their feelings or thoughts.

Examples Of Use

“The famous CEO always seemed to be an open book so everyone was very surprised to hear about his dark secret.”

“Marcus can never hide his true feelings. His face is like an open book.”

“My whole life has been an open book,” said the actor, “but now I want to settle down to a quiet life of my choosing.”

Origin

Related to the expression “read someone like a book,” variations of this idiom have been used since the mid-1800’s. 4Ammer, Christine. American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2013.

More Idioms Starting with O

• Out of the Corner of One’s Eye
• Out the Wazoo
• Out of Whack
• A Hundred and Ten Percent
• Out of Breath

More Book Idioms

• Every Name in the Book, been called
• Are You Writing a Book?
• Bookworm
• Read Someone Like a Book
• Closed Book, a

More Open Idioms

• Keep Your Eyes Open Meaning
• Open a Can Of Whoop-Ass
• Keep an Open Mind
• Can Of Worms, Open a

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