bones

IPA/bˈəʊnz/
KK[bˈonz]IPA/bˈoʊnz/

bones — adverb

1. used before an adjective to mean 'extremely' or 'very much', especially in North

1.adverbC1
Definition

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.

Example

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.

Common collocations
  • bones cold
  • bones tired
  • bones weary
  • bones hard
Synonyms
  • extremely

    standard English equivalent, neutral register

  • dead

    similar informal intensifier, as in 'dead tired'; more widely understood across dialects

Grammar Patterns

bones + adjective

Usage Note

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.

Common Mistakes

I am bones happy to see you.
I am extremely happy to see you.
'bones' only works with adjectives describing negative or extreme physical states (tired, cold, hard, weary), not positive emotions.
She ran bones fast.
She ran very fast.
'bones' cannot modify an adverb or be used before adverbs; it only intensifies adjectives.

bones — noun

bones — verb

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All four words refer to parts of the internal supporting structure of vertebrate bodies, but they operate at different levels. 'Skeleton' is the whole framework of bones that supports the body and protects the organs — you talk about 'a dinosaur skeleton' in a museum. 'Bone' (and its plural 'bones') refers to the individual hard pieces that make up the skeleton: you break 'a bone', not 'a skeleton'. 'Skull' is the specific bone structure of the head that encloses the brain; it has its own name because of its distinctive function and shape. 'Spine' (or 'backbone') is the column of vertebrae running down the back that houses the spinal cord. A useful rule: use 'skeleton' for the whole, 'bone' for any individual piece, 'skull' for the head bones, and 'spine' for the central column — these words are not interchangeable. For example, you would say 'The archaeologists found a human skeleton in the tomb' (the whole frame), but 'The fall cracked two bones in his foot' (individual pieces).

skeleton ↗bone ↗skull ↗spine ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • bone structure
  • bone density
  • bone cancer
  • bone marrow
  • bone fragment

Phrases

  • on the bone
  • to the bone
  • chilled to the bone
  • cut to the bone

Prepositions

Etymology

Proto-Indo-EuropeanProto-GermanicOld EnglishMiddle EnglishEnglish

The word 'bone' comes from Old English 'bān', which can be traced back to the Proto-Germanic '*bainą' and further to the Proto-Indo-European '*bʰeyh₂-', meaning 'to strike' or 'to hit' — perhaps because early people used animal bones as tools or weapons. The spelling has been stable since Middle English, though the plural 'bones' has always been the dominant form in actual use. The informal adverb use ('bones tired') developed in Scottish and Northern English dialects, probably as a shortening of 'to the bone', as in 'chilled to the bone'. The verb sense 'to remove bones' appeared in the 15th century, while the vulgar slang sense emerged in American English in the early 20th century.