roll the bones

roll the bones

1. slang To roll dice, as for or in a game of chance. I'm usually not much of a gambler, but I couldn't resist heading to the craps table to roll the bones!

2. By extension, to take some risk on the hope or chance of a fortunate outcome. Look, worst case scenario is that we get hit with a fine, so I say we just roll the bones and hope it doesn't come to that.

See also: bone, roll

Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.

roll the bones

Cast dice, especially in the game of craps, as in Let's go to the casino and roll the bones tonight. This slangy term was first recorded in 1897, but the noun bones has referred to dice since the late 1300s (Chaucer used it in The Pardoner's Tale).

See also: bone, roll

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.

roll the bones

Games

To cast dice, especially in craps.

See also: bone, roll

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.