What Does To Book On Out (of Somewhere) Mean?

Book On Out Meaning

Definition: To leave a place very quickly.

This phrasal verb means to depart very suddenly and rapidly. It is often said when trying to escape from something or when wanting to avoid something or someone.

This phrase is an example of popular slang that began on the streets, but it is now used in a variety of social circles.

Origin of To Book On Out

There are several possible origins for this phrase. One comes from the fact that trade workers used to (and sometimes still do) use a union book for identification. When they left to work on another job site, they would say they were “booking out.”

book on out of here meaningAnother possibility is that gang members and drug dealers used to have to “book it” and return home to record a transaction.

By the 1990s, this expression was popular among American youth on the streets who needed euphemisms for “running away” from the police.

Examples of To Book On Out

In the modern day, people use book on out to talk about getting out of a place as quickly as possible.

For example,

  • Let’s book on out of this place as soon as possible.

meaning of to book out of hereThis would be common to say of a place or party where you don’t want to be very long.

Another example,

  • She booked on out as soon as she saw her ex-boyfriend in the room.

In this example, the woman did not want to see her ex-boyfriend, so she left abruptly.

There are many variations of the phrase, including,

  • book out > Let’s book out.
  • book it > Let’s book it.
  • book > Let’s book.

All of these variations have the same meaning.

More Examples

  • It’s a “Batman v Superman” one that we quickly heard people were wanting to trade others for. (We were fast to book out of there.) –Business Insider

Summary

The phrase book on out of somewhere is to leave a place quickly when you want to avoid someone or something.

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