Definition of: "red book" with explanation and origin
Definition of: red book with explanation and origin? Meaning of red book with examples in English idiom dictionary.
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Definition of: "red book" with explanation and origin
red book
red book
Meaning
- any document or publication, which is bound in red and serves as an official collection of rules, regulations, laws, or legal principles.
- analogically, an authoritative or canonical volume, regardless of its binding.
- alternatively, a book considered to be devilish or demonic in nature.
Example Sentences
- I will need to consult the red book to determine whether there is an exception to the rule.
- The Red Book, which presented the Government’s taxation plan, was presented to Parliament.
- “The Red Book of the Irish Exchequer is said to afford some curious matters for selection” (Charles Purton Cooper, An Account of the Most Important Public Records of Great Britain, Volume 2, 1832).
- “Reportedly, everyone carried a copy of the little red book at all times as a sign of loyalty to Mao” (Donald P. Whitaker and Rinn-Sup Shinn, et al., Area Handbook for the People’s Republic of China, Volume 550, Issue 60-62, p. 362).
Origin
The idiomatic phrase, “red book” (often capitalized “Red Book”) originally referred to 19th-century British registers, especially those that listed the genealogy and titles of the nobility. Prior to this, there was, reportedly, a volume of traditional veterinary medicine, which was known as The Red Book of Appin. It is considered by some to be a grimoire. According to a Scottish folktale circulated by John Francis Campbell in the mid-nineteenth century, a young shepherd from Appin took possession of the book from a demonic, fire-breathing monster.
In contemporary British usage, “Red Book” refers to a treasury forecast concerning annual revenue, likely rates of inflation, and anticipated costs. In the United States, the term often refers to a multi-volume reference guide issued by the US Government Accountability Office titled, Principles of Federal Appropriations Law.
Numerous other governments and organizations bind their canonical texts in red. For example, in the Anglican Communion, the Book of Common Prayer is often referred to as the red book. In Australia, the Red Book lists the sale value of vehicles; it is functionally equivalent to the Kelley Blue Book, which is used in the United States.
A number of books by well-known authors are referred to as “the red book.” Examples include Quotations from Chairman Mao Zedong, which is standardly known as “the little red book,” and Carl Jung’s manuscript, Liber Novus (‘The New Book‘), which has been published under the title, The Red Book: Liber Novus.
The Origins of red book
Book, Colour, Goverment, Law, RedEnglish
Related Dictionary
- English Definition & Meaning Dictionary
- English Idioms and phrases Dictionary
- Dictionnaire Français
- Dictionnaire d'expressions idiomatiques et de phrases en français
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English Idioms and phrases
An idiom is a common word or phrase with a figurative, non-literal meaning that is understood culturally and differs from what its composite words' denotations would suggest; i.e. the words together have a meaning that is different from the dictionary definitions of the individual words (although some idioms do retain their literal meanings – see the example "kick the bucket" below). By another definition, an idiom is a speech form or an expression of a given language that is peculiar to itself grammatically or cannot be understood from the individual meanings of its elements.[3] For example, an English speaker would understand the phrase "kick the bucket" to mean "to die" – and also to actually kick a bucket. Furthermore, they would understand when each meaning is being used in context.
To evoke the desired effect in the listener, idioms require a precise replication of the phrase: not even articles can be used interchangeably (e.g. "kick a bucket" only retains the literal meaning of the phrase but not the idiomatic meaning).
Idioms should not be confused with other figures of speech such as metaphors, which evoke an image by use of implicit comparisons (e.g., "the man of steel"); similes, which evoke an image by use of explicit comparisons (e.g., "faster than a speeding bullet"); or hyperbole, which exaggerates an image beyond truthfulness (e.g., "more powerful than a locomotive"). Idioms are also not to be confused with proverbs, which are simple sayings that express a truth based on common sense or practical experience.
