BONE OF CONTENTION Definition & Meaning

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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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�y��vlog 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.

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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

For Emery and PSG it was worse, not helped by officiating that is still a bone of contention in Paris to this day.

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Another bone of contention this year is the dominance of Afrobeats, which has its roots in Nigeria and Ghana.

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However, the embargo has failed to achieve that objective and has become a bone of contention between Washington and its neighbours in the region.

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Anthony Martial was a particular bone of contention.

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For many sub-postmasters, the continued employment of people who investigated them or were at the Post Office at the height of the scandal is a bone of contention.

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

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