bone

bone1 [ boun ] noun ***

1. ) count one of the hard parts that form a frame inside the body of a human or animal. This frame is called a skeleton:

She fell and broke a bone in her foot.

Cook the fish, then carefully remove the bones.

He was thin, and his hip bones stuck out.

2. ) uncount the substance that bones are made of:

The archaeologists found fragments of bone.

a ) only before noun made of bone:

a chess set with carved bone pieces

a bone of contention

something that people disagree or argue about:

The main bone of contention between us is our children's education.

chilled/frozen to the bone

feeling very cold in every part of your body

close to the bone

telling the truth about a subject that people prefer not to think about, in a way that may offend or upset people:

His comments about racism may be too close to the bone for some people.

cut/trim/pare something to the bone

to reduce something to the lowest possible level or amount:

We've had to cut our profit margins to the bone in order to survive.

feel/know something in your bones

to feel certain about something, although you cannot explain or prove it:

Something was wrong, she could feel it in her bones.

have a bone to pick with someone INFORMAL

to want to talk to someone about something they have done that has annoyed you:

I've got a bone to pick with you.

make no bones about something

to talk about or do something in a very open way, without feeling ashamed or embarrassed:

He makes no bones about the fact that he wants my job.

not have a bad/jealous etc. bone in your body

used for emphasizing that someone is not bad/jealous etc. in any way

=> BAG1, BARE1, DRY1 1B, SKIN1

bone

bone 2 [ boun ] verb transitive

to remove the bones from meat or fish before cooking it:

The chef boned the fish before grilling it.

boned chicken

,bone `up phrasal verb intransitive INFORMAL

to study hard or learn about something in order to prepare for a test, meeting, etc.:

He's boning up for his final exams.

bone up on: She boned up on the company before the interview.