The act of getting a book out on the train, tube bus or plane in order to avoid talking to the person next to you. Substitutes include a newspaper, phone or iPod.
Person one: "Blablabla isn't the weather terrible blablabla"
Person two: (gets book out thus giving Person one "The book off")
Person one stops talking.
A person you hate intensely not because they deserve such hatred but because they serve as a focus for your general hatred. A healthy way to dispense with excess animosity.
Jake's not really that big an asshole. He just serves as my hate sink.