bookie

plural bookies

1. informalA bookmaker, being a person who, or business which, takes bets from the general public on sporting events and similar.

   ‘You won’t believe it,’ he [Fitz McGee] said. ‘Those dummies won’t let me scratch! The horse is gonna be odds‐on and I’ve got a chunk bet on him out of town. Never get the bookie call it off this late.’

   1975 September 5, Red Smith, quoting Phil Bieber, “Lyin’ Fitz, the Beautiful Dreamer”, in The New York Times, New York, N.Y.: The New York Times Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 13 Feb 2026, page 21, columns 2–3

   Synonyms: turf accountant

plural bookies

1. diminutiverareDiminutive of book.

   Little Miss Muffet / Sat on a tuffet / Not eating curds and whey. / Instead, she ate cookies / And read little bookies / She saw advertised yesterday.

   1921, Editor & Publisher, volume 53, page 27

   5 more examples

   […] although I had not felt the power of the truth on my own heart, yet I took particular care to read all the little bookies before I put them into the hands of the children.

   1852, “Jubilee Conference of the Sunday School Union”, in The Union Magazine for Sunday School Teachers, volume IX, London: Sunday School Union, […], page 347

   When, under the old regime, after the sermon was over “little bookies” were handed round, with this title—“The Communion Office, according to the use of the Church of Scotland,” was this nothing more than a handing about of lies in right hands, because the English Office was not bound up with them?

   1853, “The Scottish Prayer Book and the Scottish Canons”, in The Scottish Magazine, and Churchman’s Review, volume II, Edinburgh: R. Lendrum & Co., […], page 122

   Gems, Jewels, Happy Stories for Boys, and Happy Stories for Girls, are the names of four attractive packets filled with those nice little bookies which are so much liked by young people.

   1873, “[Reviews of Books.] Bessie Brown, and other Books. […]”, in The Scottish Sabbath-School Teachers’ Magazine, volume V, Edinburgh; London: Gall & Inglis. […], page 96, column 1

   ‘Read a bookie, Mummy.’ Tasha, my oldest, plump, pink, and beady-eyed, pulled at my leg. ‘Read a bookie.’ I sighed, and looked down at the little girl, surrounded by her heap of strewn books and balding teddies.

   1981, Anne Christie, My Secret Gorilla, Piatkus, →ISBN, page 1

   This year, the five finalists were all females living in New York City who had published precious little bookies they called novels—or were they hybrid short-story amalgamations?

   2005, Chronicles, page 22

1. A pet name.