1any of the pieces of hard whitish tissue making up the skeleton in humans and other vertebrates:his injuries included many broken bonesa shoulder bone
(one's bones) one’s body:he hauled his tired bones upright
(bones) a corpse or skeleton:the diggers turned up the bones of a fifteen-year-old girl
a bone of an animal with meat on it fed to a dog:dogs yelping over a bone
2 [mass noun] the calcified material of which bones consist:an earring of bone
a substance similar to bone, such as ivory or whalebone.
(often bones) a thing made or formerly made of bone, such as a strip of stiffening for a foundation garment.
(usually bones) (in southern Africa) one of a set of carved dice or bones used by traditional healers in divination.
3 (bones) the basic or essential framework of something:you need to put some flesh on the bones of your idea
ზმნა
Universal
1 [with object] remove the bones from (meat or fish) before cooking, serving, or selling:ask your butcher to bone the turkey for you
2 [no object] (bone up on) informal study (a subject) intensively, typically in preparation for something:she boned up on languages she had learned long ago
3 [with object]US vulgar slang (of a man) have sexual intercourse with (someone).
bone of contention
a subject or issue over which there is continuing disagreement:the examination system has long been a serious bone of contention
close to (or near) the bone
(of a remark) penetrating and accurate to the point of causing discomfort:the headmaster was getting a little too close to the bone for my liking
(of a joke or story) likely to cause offence because near the limit of decency.
cut (or pare) something to the bone
reduce something to the bare minimum:costs will have to be cut to the bone
have a bone to pick with someone
informal have reason to disagree or be annoyed with someone:she has a bone to pick with the council
in one's bones
felt, understood, or believed very deeply or instinctively:something good was bound to happen; he could feel it in his bones
make no bones about
have no hesitation in stating or dealing with (something), however unpleasant or awkward it is:he makes no bones about his feelings towards the militants
make old bones
[with negative] reach an advanced age:he knew he would never make old bones
not have a —— bone in one's body
have not the slightest trace of the specified quality:she hasn’t got a sympathetic bone in her body
off (or on) the bone
(of meat or fish) having had the bone or bones removed (or left in) before being cooked, served, or sold:they supply hams in the traditional way, on the bone
point the bone at
Australian
(of an Aborigine) cast a spell on (someone) so as to cause their sickness or death.
openly accuse or blame someone.
[from an Australian Aboriginal ritual, in which a bone is pointed at a victim]
to the bone
(of a wound) so deep as to expose a person’s bone:his thigh had been axed open to the bone figurativehis contempt cut her to the bone
(especially of cold) affecting a person in a penetrating way:he was cold to the bone
to one's bones (or to the bone)
used to emphasize the essential nature of a specified quality:he’s a cop to the bone
what's bred in the bone will come out in the flesh (or blood)
proverb a person’s behaviour or characteristics are determined by their heredity.
work one's fingers to the bone
work very hard:Auntie can work her fingers to the bone, but it’s Miss Green that gets the thanks