Bone

subs. (American).—1.  A bribe to a custom’s officer: of a traveller, in passing his luggage through the Custom House, in the expectation that the latter’s examination will be superficial.

  2.  (colloquial).—Something relished (1884).

  Adj. (thieves’).—Good; excellent; ♢ is the vagabonds’ hieroglyphic for bone, or good, chalked by them on houses and street corners as a hint to succeeding beggars.

  1851–61.  H. MAYHEW, London Labour and the London Poor, vol. I., 232. He [beggar] mostly chalks a signal on or near the door. I give one or two instances. ♢ ‘BONE,’ meaning good.

  Verb (old).—1.  To filch; to steal; to make off with; to take into custody.

  c. 1696.  B. E., A New Dictionary of the Canting Crew, s.v. Bone, c. to Apprehend, Seize, Take or Arrest. I’ll BONE ye, c. I’ll cause you to be Arrested. We shall be BON’D, c. we shall be Apprehended for the Robbery. The Cove is BON’D and gon to the Whit, c. the Rogue is taken up and carried to Newgate, or any other Goal. The Cull has BON’D the Fen, (for Fence) or Bloss that bit the Blow, c. the Man has Taken the Thief that Robb’d his House, Shop, or Pickt his Pocket. He has bit his Blow, but if he be BON’D, he must shove the Tumbler, c. he has Stole the Goods, or done the Feat, but if he be Taken, he’ll be Whipt at the Cart-tail. I have BON’D her Dudds Fagg’d, and Brush’d, c. I have took away my Mistress Cloathes, Beat her, and am troop’d off. BONING the Fence, c. finding the Goods where Conceal’d, and Seizing, he made no BONES of it, he swallow’d it without Drinking after it.

  1748.  T. DYCHE, A New General English Dictionary (5 ed.). BONE (v.), a cant word to seize or arrest; also to cheat or strip a person of his money or goods.

  1819.  J. H. VAUX, Memoirs, II., 157. Tell us how you was BONED, signifies tell us the story of your apprehension, a common request among fellow-prisoners in a jail, which is readily complied with as a rule; and the various circumstances therein related afford present amusement, and also useful hints for regulating their future operations, so as to avoid the like misfortune.

  1838.  DICKENS, Nicholas Nickleby, lvii., 467. ‘And why you were living so quiet here, and what you had BONED, and who you had BONED it from, wasn’t it?’

  1861.  M. E. BRADDON, The Trail of the Serpent, bk. II., ii. ‘I’m blest if he hasn’t been and BONED my mug. I hope it’ll do him more good than it’s done me.’

  1871.  Chambers’s Journal, Dec. 9, A Double Event, 774. It would be a breach of confidence to tell you how it was arranged, but, after some haggling, it was arranged that, on the understanding that I gave up the securities, I was to BONE the reward which the detectives had missed.

  2.  (American).—To bribe; to grease the palm: see BONE, subs.

  3.  (American cadets’).—To study: see BOHN. Hence TO BONE INTO IT (or BONE STANDING) = to apply oneself closely; to study hard.

  THE TEN BONES (or COMMANDMENTS), subs. phr. (old).—The fingers: spec. of a woman as in the asseveration, ‘By these ten bones’: once a common oath in reference to the Decalogue.

  c. 1485.  Digby Mysteries (1882), 4, note. By thes BONYS TEN thei be to you vntrue.

  c. 1540.  HEYWOOD, The Four P’s [DODSLEY, Old Plays (REED), i. 92].

  1542.  UDALL, The Apophthegmes of Erasmus, 27. [Socrates is advised to use his TENNE COMMAUNDEMENTES in a brawl.]

  1562.  Jacke Juggeler [DODSLEY, Old Plays (HAZLITT), ii. 125]. I am a servant of this house, BY THESE TEN BONES.

  c. 1575.  Ane Ballat of Matrymonie [LAING, Early Popular Poetry of Scotland, ii. 76].

  1589.  Pappe with an Hatchet (1844), 28. Martin sweares BY HIS TEN BONES.

  1593.  SHAKESPEARE, 2 Henry VI., i. 3. Could I come near your beauty with my nails, I’d set my TEN COMMANDMENTS in your face. Ibid., i. 4. BY THESE TEN BONES, my lord [holding up his hands], he did speak to me in the garret one night.

  1595.  Locrine [SHAKS., Supplement, ii. 242]. I trembled, fearing she would set her TEN COMMANDMENTS in my face.

  1597.  J. LYLY, The Woman in the Moon, v. Now he swears BY HIS TEN BONES.

  1607.  DEKKER, Westward Ho! v. 3. Your harpy that set his TEN COMMANDMENTS upon my back.

  1609.  FLETCHER, Monsieur Thomas, iv. 2. BY THESE TEN BONES, sir, if these eyes and ears Can hear and see. Ibid. (c. 1613), The Woman’s Prize, i. 3. I’ll devil ’em, BY THESE TEN BONES, I will.

  1621.  JONSON, Masque of Gipsies, vi. 84.

  1648.  HERRICK, Hesperides [HAZLITT, i. 209].

  1814.  SCOTT, Waverley, xxx. I’ll set my TEN COMMANDMENTS in the face of the first loon that lays a finger on him.

  1830.  MARRYAT, The King’s Own, xl. I’ll write the TEN COMMANDMENTS on your face.

  1842.  LONGFELLOW, The Spanish Student, iii. 3. In with you, and be busy with the TEN COMMANDMENTS, under the sly.

  1903.  Pall Mall Gazette, 6 April, 2. 3. The mother attacked the unfortunate master, and began the time-honoured but painful ceremony of setting her TEN COMMANDMENTS in his face, while her hopeful offspring got the school cane and belaboured his instructor.

  A BONE IN THE ARM (LEG, THROAT, etc.), phr. (common).—A feigned obstacle; a humorous reason for declining to do anything.

  1542.  UDALL, The Apophthegmes of Erasmus (1877, Reprint of ed. 1562), 375. He refused to speake, allegeing that HE HAD A BONE IN HIS THROTE, & could not speake.

  1709.  SWIFT, Polite Conversation (conv. iii.). Nev. Miss, come, be kind, for once, and order me a dish of coffee. Miss. Pray go yourself; let us wear out the oldest first; besides, I can’t go, for I HAVE A BONE IN MY LEG.

  A BONE TO PICK WITH ONE, phr. (old).—A difficulty to solve, nut to crack, a matter of dispute, something disagreeable needing explanation, a settlement to make.

  1565.  COLFHILL, An Answer to John Martiall’s Treatise of the Cross (1846), 277. A BONE for you TO PICK ON.

  1580.  J. LYLY, Euphues. When the company was dissolved, Camilla not thinking to receive an answere, but a lecture, went to her Italian booke, where she found the letter of Philautus, who without any further advice, as one very much offended, or in a great heate, sent him this BONE TO GNAW UPON.

  1581.  B. RICH, Farewell to Militarie Profession. My Maide who shall of purpose, bee readie to waite for your commyng at the hower, shall MAKE NO BONES to deliuer you this Male.

  1614.  Terence in English.

  1665.  Homer à la Mode.

  1749.  SMOLLETT, Gil Blas (1812), III., iii. If you are dextrous enough to acquire his confidence, he may give you some pretty BONE TO PICK.

  1783.  R. AINSWORTH, Latin Dictionary (Morell), s.v. Pick, TO GIVE ONE A BONE TO PICK, scrupulum alicui injicere.

  1850–68.  H. ROGERS, Essays, II., ii. (1874), 103. Many a ‘BONE’ in these lectures which a keen metaphysician would be disposed TO ‘PICK’ WITH the author.

  A BONE IN THE MOUTH, phr. (nautical).—A ship is said to carry a BONE in her mouth, and cut a feather, when she makes the water foam before her (HOWELL).

  A BONE OF CONTENTION, Subs. phr. (colloquial).—A source of contention or discord.

  1766.  H. BROOKE, The Fool of Quality, i., 249. While any flesh remains on a bone, it continues a BONE OF CONTENTION.

  1836.  HOOD, Miss Kilmansegg and Her Precious Leg.

  AS DRY or HARD AS A BONE, phr. (common), i.e., as free from moisture as a bone after it has been picked and cleaned, as by a dog.

  1833.  MARRYAT, Peter Simple I. i. It’s AS DRY AS A BONE.

  1837.  R. NICOLL, Poems (1843), 83. Dubs were HARD AS ONY BANE.

  PHRASES AND COLLOQUIALISMS:—TO MAKE BONES OF = to make objection to, have scruples of, hesitate. TO FIND BONES IN = to be unable to credit, believe, or ‘swallow.’ TO PUT A BONE TO ONE’S HOOD = to break one’s head. ONE END IS PRETTY SURE TO BE BONE = an old-time saying equivalent to an admission that ‘all is not gold that glitters’; that the realization of one’s hopes never comes up to the ideal formed. TO BE UPON THE BONES = to attack (1616). TO FEEL A THING IN ONE’S BONES = assurance: conviction.

  1459.  Paston Letters, 331, I., 444. And FOND that tyme NO BONYS in the matere.

  1542.  UDALL, The Apophthegmes of Erasmus, 133 (1877). Yea, & rather then faill, both whole mainor places, & also whole Lordships, thei MAKE NO BONES, ne sticke not, quite & clene to swallow doune the narrow lane, and thesame to spue vp again.

  1565.  SHACKLOCK, Hatchet of Heresies. And instede of that whiche he saide, This is my body, they haue MADE NO BONES AT IT, to say, this is my brede.

  1590.  GREENE, Francesco’s Fortunes, in Wks. VIII., 189. Tricke thy selfe vp in thy best reparrell, & MAKE NO BONES at it but on a woing [wooing].

  1596.  NASHE, Have with You to Saffron-Walden, in Wks. III., 112. He … would MAKE NO BONES to take the wall of Sir Philip Sidney.

  b. 1616, d. 1704.  SIR R. L’ESTRANGE (in Annandale). Puss had a month’s mind TO BE UPON THE BONES of him, but was not willing to pick a quarrel.

  1677.  WYCHERLEY, The Plain Dealer, Act iii. Man. How could I refrain? A lawyer talked peremptorily and saucily to me, and as good as gave me the lie. Free. They do it so often to one another at the bar, that they MAKE NO BONES on’t elsewhere.

  1849.  THACKERAY, Pendennis, lxiv. Do you think that the Government or the Opposition would MAKE ANY BONES about accepting the seat if it be offered to them?

  1887.  Scribner’s Magazine. I ain’t a-goin’ to mention no names but I kin FEEL IT IN MY BONES that things ain’t on the square here, there’s a nigger in the fence.

  1888.  Missouri Republican, 22 Feb. Nat. M. Shelton, of Lancaster, said: ‘I am in the race for attorney-general, and I FEEL IT IN MY BONES that I will get the nomination.

  1888.  The World, 13 May. People here (in the west) have to get up and get in order to make both ends meet, and even then ONE END IS PRETTY SURE TO BE BONE.