Language - Leximania

Referees Study Curses In Preparation For U.S.-England, Chicago Tribune 10/6/2010

RUSTENBURG, South Africa — The Brazilian referee and his assistants who will work the England-United States match at the World Cup have been studying English-language obscenities the players might use.

Carlos Simon will referee Saturday’s match in Rustenburg, assisted by Roberto Braatz and Altemir Hausmann. They want to ensure players can’t get away with abuse.

We Know ‘Boogie’ Led To ‘Book,’ But Did ‘Nook’ Lead To ‘Nooky’?, Chicago Tribune, 21/6/2010

19AugustLeximania.grEnglish Language, Language, News

June 21, 2010

When I was coaching cross-country running during the late 1970s, the runners on my team would sometimes yell before a race, “Let’s book!”

I knew that “book” meant “speed off,” but for 30 years I’ve tried to find the origin of this odd meaning of “book,” a definition that doesn’t appear in any of the dictionaries I consulted, though I’ve heard the word used this way quite often.