Dictionary

know like a book en · VERB

(qualifier:simile, transitive) To have an extensive and penetrating understanding of (something or someone).
- "He's a bad man, that John Mason, and my advice to you and to every one, is to keep clear of him. I know him like a book." 1851, T. S. Arthur, “That John Mason”, in Off-Hand Sketches:
- "I played with the guy seven days a week; I knew him like a book." 1998 March 22, Dave Anderson, “College Basketball: When Sherman White Threw It All Away”, in New York Times, retrieved 18 Nov 2013:
- "Olson can hide out around here until the snow flies if he wants to. He knows these woods—every steam and lake—like a book." 1939 June 21, “Slayer Still Free in Woods”, in Leader Post, Saskatchewan, Canada, retrieved 18 Nov 2013, page 9:
- "Around here I know the shoreline like a book." 2010, Bill Ratcliffe, Liz, →ISBN, page 24:

Spelling	Features	Source
known like a book	Tense=Past, VerbForm=Part	lexicographic
knowing like a book	Tense=Pres, VerbForm=Part	lexicographic
knows like a book	Number=Sing, Person=3, Tense=Pres	lexicographic
knew like a book	Tense=Past	lexicographic