To comply with something to the letter is to do it without exception and following the instructions to the letter.
The term rajatabla is used to construct the adverbial phrase a rajatabla , also accepted as a raja tabla . The expression refers to that which is fulfilled or respected in an exact or strict manner .
Without exception
For example: “In this company we adhere to schedules strictly” , “The doctor told me that I have to follow the diet strictly or else I could have serious problems” , “I usually go to the gym quite frequently, although it is not something Let him do it every day to the letter.”
In the first sentence, the sender expresses that in the company where he works it is not possible to break schedules; If any of the employees tried to do so, they would probably be fired immediately. The second puts the risk of getting sick as a consequence of non-compliance, so following the doctor's recommendation seems the only reasonable option. Finally, the issuer admits not going to the gym every day ( without exception ).
What is done to the letter, therefore, is carried out with rigor and precision . Suppose a business owner hands a stack of documents to an employee and asks him or her to apply the company seal to the bottom of each sheet. According to the employer's instructions, the task must be carried out strictly : the worker cannot skip any page nor does he have to stamp the same page more than once.
Let's take the case of a doctor who works from Monday to Friday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. This professional strictly respects the days and schedules , without making exceptions. Therefore, if someone comes to your office at 6:15 p.m., or on a Saturday, they are not attended to.
Origin of the term
In the dictionary of the Royal Spanish Academy we can see that, as it appears at first glance, this term is made up of the union between two others: "raja" and " tabla ". In fact, this is confirmed by the fact that the expression can also be used with these two independently ( "do something by the book" ), which reflects the way in which it was originally used.
The fundamental idea behind this expression is found in the characteristics of the wood , more precisely that which is cut in the form of a board, where you can notice different cracks, whose most appropriate name is veins . All of them extend in the same direction as the main one, and this image gives the sensation of "moving forward without exception, without rest or error along a path laid out in advance."
Beyond the analogy between the fulfillment and advancement of the grain through the sheets of wood is the ancient custom of writing the rules and laws of the towns on wooden boards, which were then displayed on public roads so that the inhabitants they read and complied with them to the letter, in a mandatory and scrupulous manner.
Grains or "slits" are visible on wooden boards.
Nor can we fail to mention the history of the Ten Commandments of Christianity, which were recorded by the work of God in a series of tables that Moses read in front of the people . Regardless of the exact origin of this word, we know that it was only incorporated into the RAE Dictionary in 1992.
Despite the difficulties
What is developed despite difficulties and problems can also be mentioned as something developed to the letter. With this meaning, in any case, the adverbial phrase is rarely used: “Despite the injuries and fatigue, the young man continued to advance to the letter,” “The president is willing to carry out his government plan to the letter, regardless of the consequences or criticism."