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View synonyms for bone of contention
bone of contention
noun
- a subject, cause, or focal point of a dispute:
The terms of the old man's will were a bone of contention to his survivors.
bone of contention
noun
- the grounds or subject of a dispute
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Word History and Origins
Origin of bone of contention1
First recorded in 1705–15
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Idioms and Phrases
Main issue of a disagreement; something to quarrel about. For example, Grandfather's will was a bone of contention for the whole family . This expression alludes to two dogs fighting (contending) over a single bone. In slightly different guise, bone of dissension , it was used figuratively in the 16th century and took its present form in the early 1700s.Advertisement
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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