book
Bureaucrats are afraid of what will happen if they don't go by the book.
The insurance company said it was just going by the book.
Mr Smyth was a man who always went by the book.
Legitimate retailers avoid such illegal operations and want to go by the book.
SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases Obeying & breaking the law
abide
abide by something
adhere
adhere to something
afoul
bac
buck
commission
comply
contravene
derogation
disobey
enforcer
fall foul of somethingidiom
guiltiness
hold someone to something
infraction
infringement
shalt
violation
You can also find related words, phrases, and synonyms in the topics:
Wanting everything to be right
Rules & laws