have a bone to pick (with one)
To have an issue to discuss, argue about, or bring up (with one), typically something that is a source of annoyance for the speaker. Hey, I have a bone to pick with you! Why didn't you put gas in my car after you borrowed it? Uh oh, the boss looks like she's got a bone to pick. I wonder who screwed up this time. Jerry, we have a bone to pick with you about how you leave your dirty dishes in the sink for days at a time.
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.
have a bone to pick (with someone)
to have a disagreement to discuss with someone; to have something to argue about with someone. Hey, Bill. I've got a bone to pick with you. Where is the money you owe me? I had a bone to pick with her, but she was so sweet that I forgot about it.
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
bone to pick, have a
An unpleasant issue or grievance that needs discussion. For example, Concerning the room assignments, I have a bone to pick with you. This metaphoric term alludes to a dog worrying a bone. [Early 1500s]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
have a bone to pick with someone
INFORMALIf you say that you have a bone to pick with someone, you mean that you are annoyed with them about something, and you want to talk to them about it. `I have a bone to pick with you.' She felt justified in bringing up a matter that she had been afraid to discuss before. Note: This expression may refer to the fact that dogs often fight over bones.
Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed. © HarperCollins Publishers 2012
have a bone to pick with someone
have reason to disagree or be annoyed with someone. informal A bone to pick (or gnaw ) has been a metaphor for a problem or difficulty to be thought over since the mid 16th century.
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017
have a ˈbone to pick with somebody
(informal) have something that you want to complain to somebody about: Here, I’ve got a bone to pick with you: why did you tell David I wasn’t at home when he phoned?Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017
have a bone to pick, to
To have a point to argue, an unpleasant issue to discuss, or a complaint. This term, which alludes both to a dog worrying a bone and to two dogs fighting over a single bone, dates from the early sixteenth century. “I will add this, which may be a bone for you to pick on,” wrote James Calfhill (Answer to Martiall, 1565)—that is, an issue to worry to death. “There is a bone for the gastronomers to pick,” Sir Walter Scott was quoted as saying about 1830, denoting something for more than one person to argue about.
The Dictionary of Clichés by Christine Ammer Copyright © 2013 by Christine Ammer