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Apr 8, 2019
This week’s themeWords related to bones This week’s words bred-in-the-bone ossify bonehead Jell-O bareboned 
“All words are pegs to hang ideas on.” ~BeecherSend some to friends & family 
A.Word.A.Day
with Anu GargHere’s a pop quiz. Sawbones, jawbone, trombone, and bonfire -- which is the odd one out? It’s trombone. Both sawbones and jawbone are clearly bony. A bonfire is, literally speaking, a fire of bones. But trombone, well, no bones there. It’s from Italian tromba (trumpet) + -one (big). A trombone apparently works fine, but without bones we would all slump to the floor. No wonder, our language is filled with bones. We are encouraged to have a backbone or strength of character. To feel in one’s bones is to feel intuitively. To have a bone to pick with someone is to have a reason to discuss a disagreement with someone. Well, we’ll make no bones about it -- all of this week’s words are connected with bones. Bone up! bred-in-the-bone
PRONUNCIATION:
(bred-in-thuh-BOHN)
MEANING:
adjective: 1. Deep-rooted. 2. Habitual; inveterate. ETYMOLOGY:
From the old proverb “What is bred in the bone will not come out of the
flesh”, implying something deep-rooted cannot be removed. Also recorded in
the form “What is bred in the bone will come out in the flesh”, meaning
deeply ingrained traits will ultimately reveal themselves. Earliest
documented use: 1470.
USAGE:
“Her bred-in-the-bone positivity has left its mark on her son.” Ruth La Ferla; That Model in the Ad? She’s Mom; The New York Times; Jan 17, 2019. A THOUGHT FOR TODAY:
Good fiction creates empathy. A novel takes you somewhere and asks you to
look through the eyes of another person, to live another life. -Barbara
Kingsolver, novelist, essayist, and poet (b. 8 Apr 1955)
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