book
n.— «Matters improved still more. Mr. Legree moved to a job at Public School 150, just across the street from his apartment at Brownsville Houses. It was at that job that he received his “book”—became a member of a laborers’ union.» —“This Hammer for Hire” by Johnny Dwyer New York Times Feb. 4, 2007. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
What’s up with ketchup? The shifting history and spelling of the name of this condiment. For centuries, ketchup was a fishy sauce originating in Asia—the tomatoes came only later! Plus, a new book shows what’s lost when a language dies: when there...
Nancy Gabriel from Ithaca, New York, recalls her father’s no-nonsense responses to minor injuries when she was a child: After making sure she was really all right, he’d say, It’s far enough from your heart; it won’t kill you. Other times he might...