to kiss the book
Preserved but no longer current.
To kiss the Bible, or the New Testament, after taking an oath ; the kiss of confirmation or promise to act in accordance with the words of the oath and a public acknowledgment that you adore and fear to offend, by breaking your oath, the God whose book you reverence.
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 “to kiss the book” mean?
To kiss the Bible, or the New Testament, after taking an oath ; the kiss of confirmation or promise to act in accordance with the words of the oath and a public acknowledgment that you adore and fear to offend, by breaking your oath, the God whose book you reverence.
Is “to kiss the book” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.