bell book

American

noun

Nautical.

a book in which all orders affecting the main engines of a ship are recorded.

Etymology

Origin of bell book

So called from the special use of bells on a ship

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The Entourage movie hits theaters tomorrow, but maybe if people see the misogyny and racism revealed in this “honest trailer,” they’ll boycott it and stay home to read bell books instead.

From Time

It was not till after they had learned with bell book and candle to curse the white man, and teach sedition and murder to the slaves.

From Project Gutenberg

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023