a turn-up for the book
Preserved but no longer current.
A bit of good luck, unexpected good fortune. Waiting for something to turn up. Expectant that the luck will change, that good fortune will arrive without much effort on one's own part. Mr. Micawber's philosophy of life, in David Copperfield.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “a turn-up for the book” mean?
A bit of good luck, unexpected good fortune. Waiting for something to turn up. Expectant that the luck will change, that good fortune will arrive without much effort on one's own part. Mr. Micawber's philosophy of life, in David Copperfield.
Is “a turn-up for the book” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.