Book It! Leaving In A Hurry

What’s the origin of the slang term book it!, meaning “depart quickly”? Since slang terms often cross-pollinate, it’s possible that by the 1960s and 1970s this expression formed at the confluence of three other slang terms: bookity-bookity, first used in the 1860s to suggest the sound of running hooves; to boogie, meaning “to dance” or “move quickly”; and bug out, a slang term from the 1950s, meaning “to leave in a hurry.” This is part of a complete episode.

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