Dictionary

turnip for the book en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• (US) audio

Etymology

A humorous variation on turn up for the book.

Meanings

1. (humorous) A very unexpected surprise or occurrence.
   • You've got these Swedes in your office—that was a turnip for the books. Do go on. 1974, Gordon Williams, Big Morning Blues, London […]: Hodder and Stoughton, →ISBN, page 102:
   • Swedes fired arrows into their corpses, though we don't know why. (This is better than corpses firing arrows into swedes which would be a real turnip for the book.) 1999, Terry Deary, The Savage Stone Age, London: Hippo, →ISBN, page 43:

Forms