Meanings
plural turn-ups for the books
- alternativeAlternative form of turn up for the book.
What a turn-up for the books, Portia thinks, what a lark!
2011, Nina Bawden, A Nice Change, →ISBN2 more examples
What a turn-up for the books: the prettiest boy in the seventies pop stratosphere had prematurely gone to fat.
2010, Nick Kent, Apathy for the Devil, →ISBN, page 189'Well now, that's a turn-up, Eddie Godolphin said, settling himself back into the only comfortable chair in the minuscule room. He picked up the plate of scones and stuffed one whole into his mouth. “That's a real turn-up for the books.' Or at least that was what Alex thought he said; it was hard to tell through the crumbs, cream and jam.
2013, Scarlett Bailey, Just for Christmas, →ISBN, page 8
Cite this entry
turn-up for the books. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/turn-up%20for%20the%20books
“turn-up for the books.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/turn-up%20for%20the%20books. Accessed November 5, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “turn-up for the books,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/turn-up%20for%20the%20books.
Source: turn-up for the books on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.