E. Cobham Brewer 1810–1897. Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 1898.
Leaf. (Anglo-Saxon lef.)
To take a leaf out of [my] book. To imitate me; to do as I do. The allusion is to literary plagiarisms.
1
To turn over a new leaf. To amend one’s ways. The French equivalent is: “Je lui ferai chanter une autre chanson.” But in English, “To make a person sing another tune,” means to make him eat his words, or change his note for one he will not like so well.
f.)
