In someone's bad books

Definitions

• disapproval
  To be in someone's disfavor or to have fallen out of favor with them

Examples of In someone's bad books

• Sarah has been acting suspiciously around John lately, and I can't shake the feeling that she's in his bad books.

  To say that Sarah is "in John's bad books" means that she has upset or angered John, and he is currently disapproving of or unfriendly towards her. This idiom comes from the idea of a person's "books" containing a list of grievances or debts, which could be seen as "bad" if the person has disappointed someone else.

• The boss seems to be in Jason's bad books lately. He's been avoiding him in meetings and doesn't seem to want to work with him on new projects.

  This idiom means that someone is out of favor with another person, usually due to a disagreement or misunderstanding. In this example, the boss might be upset with Jason for some reason and is no longer willing to collaborate with him.

• Emma's neighbor has been in her bad books for weeks. She keeps leaving notes about loud music and blocking her driveway.

  This usage of the idiom involves a personal relationship between two people. In this case, the neighbor has done something that has annoyed Emma, leading her to become irritated and withdraw from social interaction.

• After the team's loss in the championship game, the coach put some of the players in bad books. They were benched for the next game and didn't see much playing time after that.

  This example shows how the idiom can be used in a group setting. The coach's decision to punish certain players has put them out of favor with him and their teammates, leading to a loss of status within the group. This can have negative effects on morale and team cohesion.

Conclusion

The idiom "in someone's bad books" is used to describe being in disfavor with someone. It can be used in a variety of situations, such as at work, in a personal relationship, or within a social group. When someone is in another person's bad books, it means that they are not on good terms with that person and are likely to face negative consequences as a result.

People use this idiom to convey that they are currently not in favor with someone, whether it be due to a mistake they made, a disagreement, or some other reason. It's a way of expressing that the relationship is strained and may require effort to repair.

Origin of "In someone's bad books"

The origin of the idiom "in someone's bad books" is uncertain, but it likely comes from the idea of someone keeping a record of the good and bad deeds of others. Being in someone's bad books suggests that the person has made enough negative impressions to warrant disapproval.

The concept of being in someone's bad books can be traced back to the idea of maintaining a ledger or record of someone's actions, with positive behaviors resulting in being in the "good books" and negative behaviors leading to being in the "bad books." Over time, this idea evolved into the common idiom used today to indicate disfavor or disapproval.