Learning English

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Learn more English in a Minute

• Phrases with 'cake'
• Phrases with 'lose'
• Phrases with 'wind'

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Introduction

You know what 'bones' are – they are the the hard, white parts of the body which make up the skeleton. But did you know there are also some common English phrases with the word ‘bone’? Learn some of them here with Phil.

Phrases with 'cake'

have a bone to pick with (someone)
want to tell someone you are unhappy about something they have done

• I have a bone to pick with my daughter's football coach – she should be in the team!

work your fingers to the bone
work extremely hard

• The engineers have been working their fingers to the bone to get the car ready in time for the race.

close to the bone
likely to cause offense or discomfort, even if true

• This might be a bit close to the bone, but we need to talk about your grades – you're slipping behind. 

feel (something) in your bones
know something is true even without evidence  

• I had a date last night and I think he's the one – I can feel it in my bones!

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TRANSCRIPT

Note: This is not a word-for-word transcript.

Phil
Let's learn four phrases with 'bone'.
 
If you have a bone to pick with someone, you want to tell them how they've made you unhappy.

Hey, I've got a bone to pick with you. I don't like the way you spoke to me.
 
If you work your fingers to the bone, it means that you're working very, very hard.
 
I've been working my fingers to the bone but I finally finished writing my book.
 
If someone says something that is close to the bone, then it's something that makes you uncomfortable.
 
What you said about me was fair but it was a bit close to the bone.
 
If you feel something in your bones, you know it's true even if you've got no evidence, and you can use any possessive pronoun here.
 
Today's going to be a great day – I can just feel it in my bones.
 
You're going to find these phrases useful. I can just feel it in my bones!

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