bone /bōn/

1. A hard substance forming the skeleton of the higher animals
2. A separate piece of the skeleton
3. A piece of whalebone or other material used for stiffening corsets, etc
4. A bobbin for lace-making
5. (in pl) the skeleton or anything resembling it in any way
6. (in pl) mortal remains
7. (in pl) pieces of bone or something similar held between the fingers of the hand and rattled together to keep time to music
8. (in pl) dice
9. (in pl) a nickname for a doctor (informal)

1. To take the bones out of (eg meat)
2. To provide (a corset, etc) with bones
3. To have sexual intercourse with (US vulgar sl)
4. To seize, nab (slang)

boned adjective

1. Having bones
2. Having the bones removed

boneˈless adjective

1. Lacking bones
2. Spineless (figurative)

bōˈner noun (slang)

1. A howler, a blunder
2. An erection of the penis (vulgar)

bōˈniness noun

bōˈny adjective

1. Full of, consisting of, or like bones
2. Thin

boneˈ-ache noun

Pain in the bones

bone ash or boneˈ-earth noun

The remains of bones burned in air

boneˈ-bed noun

A deposit of fossil bones

boneˈ-black noun

The carbonaceous remains of bones heated in the absence of air

boneˈ-breccˈia noun

Rock formed of broken fossil bones

boneˈ-caveˈ noun

A cave containing deposits of fossil bones of animals that lived in it or their prey

bone china noun

China in the making of which bone ash is used

bone-dryˈ adjective

1. As dry as a bone
2. Under total prohibition of alcohol

boneˈ-dust noun

Ground or pulverized bones, used in agriculture

bone-earth see bone ash above.

boneˈfish noun

A game fish (family Albulidae) found in warm shallow waters

boneˈhead noun (informal)

A blockhead

boneˈ-headed adjective

bone-iˈdle adjective

Utterly idle, idle to the bone

boneˈ-lace noun

Lace woven with bobbins, formerly often made of bones

bone marrow see marrow¹

bone marrow grafting noun (medicine)

Grafting or transplantation of bone marrow to patients with bone marrow failure (used in aplastic anaemia or after therapeutic destruction of the bone marrow in leukaemia)

bone meal noun

Ground bones used as fertilizer and as animal feed

boneˈ-mill noun

A mill where bones are ground

bone of contention noun

Something that causes strife

boneˈ-oil noun

A liquid produced by the destructive distillation of bones

boneˈset noun

A N American species of hemp agrimony

boneˈsetter noun

A person who treats broken or dislocated bones, esp when not surgically qualified

boneˈshaker noun

1. An informal name for earlier forms of bicycle
2. An old or unreliable vehicle with inadequate suspension

bone spavin see under spavin

bonetired see bone-weary below.

boneˈ-turˈquoise noun

A blue fossil bone or tooth used as turquoise

boneˈ-weary or boneˈtired adjective

Utterly exhausted

boneˈyard noun (slang)

A cemetery

bony fishes plural noun

The Teleostei, an order of fishes including most of the living forms

bony pike noun

The American (and fossil) garfish

a bone to pick (informal)

1. A difference to be cleared up (with somebody)
2. Something to occupy one (archaic)

bare bones

The essentials (of a subject)

bone up on (informal)

To study or collect information about (a subject)

close to the bone same as near the bone (see below).

feel in one's bones

To know instinctively, without proof

make no bones of or about

1. To have no scruples about
2. To make no fuss or difficulty about
3. To be quite open about

near the bone

1. On the verge of being indecent
2. Offensively pointed
3. Mean
4. Hard up, poor

(never) make old bones

(not) to live to old age

off (or on) the bone

(of meat or fish) with its bones (not) removed

• brandisher
• brandishers
• brandishes
• brandishing
• brand leader
• brand leaders
• brandling
• brandlings
• brand loyalty
• brand name
• brand names
• brand-new
• brandreth
• brandreths
• brands
• brandy
• brandy Alexander
• brandy-ball
• brandy-balls
• bar lunches
• barm
• bar magnet
• bar magnets
• barmaid
• barmaids