knuckle bones

knucklebones

Dice. Used especially in figurative phrases alluding to a situation dependent on chance. (The knuckle bones of sheep were used in ancient times for divination purposes.) I knew my father was probably down at the casino again tossing knuckle bones. Hundreds of financial institutions wagered their clients' funds on what turned out to be a toss of the knucklebones. Some struck gold, but most just wound up with nothing.

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

knuckle bones

n. dice. (An elaboration of bones.) Roll them knuckle bones and tell me that your expense needs earth pads.

See also: bone, knuckle

McGraw-Hill's Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions Copyright © 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.