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Definition 2024


have_a_bone_in_one's_throat

bone in the throat

English

Noun

bone in the throat (usually uncountable, plural bones in the throat)

  1. (idiomatic) A source of continuing annoyance; a hindrance.
    • 1876, George MacDonald, Thomas Wingfold, Curate, ch. 67:
      For an unbelieving face, whether the dull dining countenance of a mayor, or the keen searching countenance of a barrister, is a sad bone in the throat of utterance.
    • 1992 Jan. 31, Alan S. Oser, "The Federal Budget: Developers Are Cheered by Talk of New Tax Rules," New York Times (retrieved 4 June 2016):
      The inability to deduct losses from commercial or residential rentals from other real estate income has been a bone in the throat of real estate development companies.
    • 2011 July 13, Jeff Winkler, "Michelle Obama deserved a grilling on her burger choice," Guardian (UK) (retrieved 4 June 2016):
      The act . . . gave the USDA "authority to set nutritional standard for all foods regularly sold in schools during the day." That was a bit of a bone in the throat for parents who think their children should be governed by the smallest bureaucracy possible.
    • 2013 Oct. 16, Howard Fineman, "15 Reasons Why American Politics Has Become An Apocalyptic Mess," Huffington Post (retrieved 4 June 2016):
      [E]ven though Obamacare relies on the typical American mix of private sector profit and government regulation, it remains a bone in the throat of American politics.