bones
bones — adverb
1. used before an adjective to mean 'extremely' or 'very much', especially in North
used before an adjective to mean 'extremely' or 'very much', especially in Northern English and Scottish speech. For example, if the wind is 'bones cold', it is bitterly cold.
By the time we reached the bothy, I was bones tired and ready to sleep.
bones + adjective: informal intensifier
The water in the burn was bones cold even in late spring.
Granny said the winter of 1947 was bones hard for everyone in the glen.
After ten hours on the hill, Henrik felt bones weary and his legs would not carry him another step.
文法句型
bones + adjective
用法筆記
This adverbial use of 'bones' is strongly restricted to Northern England and Scotland. Outside these regions, speakers may not understand it. Do not use it in formal or academic writing.
常見錯誤
bones — noun
1. one of the hard white parts inside the body of a person or animal that together
one of the hard white parts inside the body of a person or animal that together form the skeleton. Bones give the body its shape, protect organs, and work with muscles to allow movement.
The X-ray showed that Thiago had broken two bones in his lower arm.
broken + bones: common collocation for fractures
After Chiara's bone density test at fifty-five, her doctor warned that her hip bones were beginning to thin.
bone density test + thinning bones: medical assessment context
The archaeologists found animal bones buried near the ancient cooking fire.
Doctors told Mei that drinking milk and getting enough vitamin D helps keep her bones strong.
The human hand contains twenty-seven small bones that allow it to make precise movements.
- skeleton
refers to the whole frame, not individual parts
- skeletal structure
more technical, refers to the arrangement of bones
文法句型
possessive + bones
number + bones
用法筆記
The singular form 'bone' is used when referring to one specific bone (e.g. 'the thigh bone'), while 'bones' is the usual plural. The phrase 'bone' without an article can refer to the material ('made of bone'). This sense is the most frequent meaning across all contexts.
常見錯誤
2. the hard piece found inside meat or fish that is removed before eating. Cooks ma
the hard piece found inside meat or fish that is removed before eating. Cooks may leave the bone in during cooking to add flavour, or remove it to make the food easier to eat.
Elena ordered a salmon fillet with all the small bones carefully removed.
remove + bones: typical cooking instruction
Chicken thighs cooked on the bone stay juicier than boneless ones during roasting.
on the bone: fixed phrase for meat served with bone
The fish soup had so many tiny bones that Ananya had to eat it very slowly.
Kwame prefers his steak boneless, but his wife likes the extra flavour that a T-bone gives.
文法句型
bone in [food]
with/without the bone
用法筆記
Distinguish from sense 1 (SKELETAL PARTS). This sense is specific to food preparation and eating. 'On the bone' is a fixed expression meaning the bone has been left in during cooking; 'boneless' means it has been removed. The phrase 'T-bone' refers to a specific cut of beef with a T-shaped bone.
常見錯誤
3. a simple percussion instrument made from two pieces of bone, wood, or plastic th
a simple percussion instrument made from two pieces of bone, wood, or plastic that are held between the fingers and clicked together to produce a rhythmic sound, especially used in folk and traditional music.
The folk band's rhythm section included a fiddler and a man who played the bones.
play the bones: standard verb + instrument pattern
Zola learned to play the bones from her grandfather, who had been a traditional Irish musician.
At the Galway folk festival, Dmitri clicked the bones so fast during the reel that the audience burst into applause.
The street musician clicked a pair of wooden bones in time with the guitar melody.
- clappers
broader term for any two-piece percussion instrument struck together
- rhythm bones
more specific term used by folk musicians
文法句型
play the bones
a pair of bones
用法筆記
'The bones' in this sense always takes a plural verb (e.g. 'the bones are played'). Treating it as a singular instrument name — like 'the drums' — is correct. Modern bones are often made of hardwood or plastic rather than actual bone.
bones — verb
1. to take the bones out of a piece of meat, fish, or poultry so that it is ready t
to take the bones out of a piece of meat, fish, or poultry so that it is ready to cook or eat. Chefs bone fish fillets, chicken thighs, and cuts of meat as a routine preparation step.
The chef showed Noor how to bone a whole mackerel in less than thirty seconds.
bone + [specific fish]: direct object pattern
You can ask the butcher to bone the lamb shoulder so it is easier to stuff and roll.
Once you have boned the chicken thighs, you can flatten them evenly for even cooking.
Hassan spent the morning boning trout for the restaurant's lunch special.
文法句型
bone + [food: fish/chicken/meat]
用法筆記
This verb is almost exclusively used in cooking contexts. The related adjective 'boned' describes meat that has had its bones removed, while 'boneless' is the more common adjective used on packaging and menus.
常見錯誤
2. a very rude and offensive word meaning to have sex with someone. It is a vulgar
a very rude and offensive word meaning to have sex with someone. It is a vulgar slang term that should be avoided in almost all situations, including informal conversation.
The film's dialogue was full of crude expressions like 'bone' that made many viewers uncomfortable.
register warning: crude/vulgar term
Teachers warned the teenagers that using the word 'bone' in school would lead to a disciplinary meeting.
When Darnell's hip-hop track hit the radio, the station bleeped the part where he sang about wanting to bone someone.
文法句型
bone + someone
bone (intransitive)
用法筆記
⚠️ Strong warning: This is a highly offensive and vulgar term. Do not use it in any professional, academic, or polite social setting. Even in informal contexts, many people consider it crude. The word appears in films and song lyrics but using it yourself can cause serious offence.