black book
/'blækbuk/
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
- Noun:
- A list of people who are out of favor or under suspicion: A "black book" is a figurative or literal list of individuals who are disapproved of, distrusted, or considered to have done something wrong by a person or organization in authority.
Usage
- The term is typically used in a figurative sense to describe a state of disfavor. It often implies that being on such a list may result in negative consequences, such as exclusion, punishment, or denial of privileges.
- It is commonly used with the prepositions "in" or "on" (e.g., , ).
Examples
- Noun:
- After the argument, I'm definitely in the manager's black book. (Meaning: I am out of favor with the manager.)
- The regulatory agency keeps a black book of companies with safety violations. (Meaning: The agency maintains a list of disapproved companies.)
- He was put on the black book for leaking confidential information.
Advanced Usage
- "to be in someone's black book": To be in a state of disfavor with someone.
- Be careful what you say; you don't want to end up in her black book.
- "to land/put someone in/on the black book": To cause someone to fall into disfavor or to officially place them on such a list.
- His constant lateness finally landed him on the supervisor's black book.
Variants and Related Words
- Blacklist (n/v): A more common and direct synonym. As a noun, it is a list of people or groups to be avoided or distrusted. As a verb, it means to put someone on such a list.
- The actor was blacklisted by the studio for his political views.
Synonyms
- Blacklist: A list of persons or organizations to be boycotted or punished.
- Shitlist (vulgar, informal): A list of people one is angry with.
- Naughty list (humorous, informal): Often associated with Santa Claus's list of children who misbehaved.
Idioms and Phrases
- "To have a black book": To possess or maintain such a list.
- Rumors say the headmaster has a black book of troublesome students.
- "A little black book": This is a distinct, common idiom referring to a personal address book, historically used by men to list contact information of romantic interests. It is separate from the general "black book" meaning of disfavor.
- He lost his little black book with all his dates' phone numbers.
Noun
- a list of people who are out of favor