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That part of a book or discourse which introduces or leads the way to the main subject, or part; preliminary; matter; preface; proem; exordium.

As a substance for any noun of the neuter gender; as, here is the book, take it home.

th and reality; not in earnest. And given in earnest what I begged in jest. Shak. -- Jest book, a book containing a collection of jests, jokes, and amusing anecdotes; a Joe Miller.

The hero of the book of that name in the Old Testament; the typical patient man. Job's comforter. (a) A false friend; a tactless or malicious person who, under pretense of sympathy, insinuates rebukes. (b) A boil. [Colloq.] -- Job's news, bad news. Carlyle. -- Job's tears (Bot.), a kind of grass (Coix Lacryma), with h…

A jest book; a stale jest; a worn-out joke. [Colloq.] It is an old Joe Miller in whist circles, that there are only two reasons that can justify you in not returning trumps to your partner's lead; i. e., first, sudden illness; secondly, having none. Pole.

A memorandum book.

The title of the seventh book of the Old Testament; the Book of Judges. Judge Advocate (Mil. & Nav.), a person appointed to act as prosecutor at a court-martial; he acts as the representative of the government, as the responsible adviser of the court, and also, to a certain extent, as counsel for the accused, when he h…

To record transactions, accounts, or events in; as, to keep books, a journal, etc. ; also, to enter (as accounts, records, etc. ) in a book.

ter or other liguids. Kettle pins, ninepins; skittles. [Obs.] Shelton. -- Kettle stitch (Bookbinding), the stitch made in sewing at the head and tail of a book. Knight.

riddle; the key to a problem. Those who are accustomed to reason have got the true key of books. Locke. Who keeps the keys of all the creeds. Tennyson.

To destroy; to ruin; as, to kill one's chances; to kill the sale of a book. "To kill thine honor." Shak. Her lively color kill'd with deadly cares. Shak.

According to the kind or nature; natural. [R.] The kindly fruits of the earth. Book of Com. Prayer. An herd of bulls whom kindly rage doth sting. Spenser. Whatsoever as the Son of God he may do, it is kindly for Him as the Son of Man to save the sons of men. L. Andrews.

The title of two historical books in the Old Testament.

s teeth. Dr. H. More. He breaketh the bow, and knappeth the spear in sunder. Ps. xlvi. 9 (Book of Common Prayer.)

day being exceedingly hot, the want of food had knocked up my followers." Petherick. (c) (Bookbinding) To make even at the edges, or to shape into book form, as printed sheets.

A fathom. [Obs.] Domesday Book.

A book of the Old Testament attributed to the prophet Jeremiah, and taking its name from the nature of its contents.

t; as, the last year of a century; the last man in a line of soldiers; the last page in a book; his last chance. Also day by day, from the first day unto the last day, he read in the book of the law of God. Neh. viii. 18. Fairest of stars, last in the train of night. Milton.

lebrate; to extol. With all the company of heaven, we laud and magnify thy glorious name. Book of Common Prayer.

of their mean distances. -- Law binding, a plain style of leather binding, used for law books; -- called also law calf. -- Law book, a book containing, or treating of, laws. -- Law calf. See Law binding (above). -- Law day. (a) Formerly, a day of holding court, esp. a court-leet.