Englishopen book
Meaning: A person who hides nothing about themselves.
Example: “My little brother is an open book; you can read his face instantly.”
Origin: Depends on a metaphor so settled that English no longer notices it is one: that a person can be read. The vocabulary runs deep — reading someone's face, an unreadable expression, a person's story, what can be inferred between the lines — and the open book sits at one end of it, with the closed book at the other for anything a person cannot make out at all. What makes the image work is that a book is not merely legible but legible to anyone who happens to pick it up, with no control exercised over who reads or what they take away. That is the quality being described, and it is why the phrase is faintly double-edged: an open book conceals nothing, including the things it might reasonably have kept back.
More English idioms
- over the top Beyond expectations; outside normal or accepted boundaries; exaggerated.
- over a barrel In a difficult situation or position.
- over the hill Too old to be of much value.
- paint someone a picture To explain something in very great detail.
- Pandora's box A situation that contains many unexpected and unwanted problems and consequences.
- par for the course Usual or to be expected; typical.
Explore another collection: Compliments & Insults
Compliments and insults from around the world, from the sweet to the savage.
- Che spettacolo! You look absolutely stunning — a spontaneous burst of admiration for someone's appearance.
- Du bist ein Goldstück You're a real gem — priceless, irreplaceable, and deeply appreciated.
- Du hast ein Händchen dafür You have a real knack — a natural gift that makes difficult things look easy.
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