on the books
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
On the list of a club, the list of candidates, the list of voters, or any official list. At Cambridge University they say "on the boards.
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 “on the books” mean?
On the list of a club, the list of candidates, the list of voters, or any official list. At Cambridge University they say "on the boards.
Is “on the books” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.