|
ESL Forum:
Techniques and methods
in Language Teaching
Games, activities
and teaching ideas
Grammar and
Linguistics
Teaching material
Concerning
worksheets
Concerning
powerpoints
Concerning online
exercises
Make suggestions,
report errors
Ask for help
Message board
|
ESL forum >
Ask for help > meat on the bone
meat on the bone
|
jarek2011
|
meat on the bone
|
|
I have stumbled across the phrase "meat on the bone" or "put the meat on the bone". What does it mean? I �m scratchin � my head and cant figure it out!
I googled the phrase but the results were very inconclusive and rather vague. Is it a common phrase in English?
|
8 Jun 2012
|
|
|
|
Zora
|
|
Put some meat on your bones means to fatten up or gain weight. It �s usually used when somebody is excessively (or thought to be) thin.
|
8 Jun 2012
|
|
|
jarek2011
|
|
what about other contexts of use - like providing some additional information? |
8 Jun 2012
|
|
|
cunliffe
|
|
Yes, to put some meat on the bare bones would mean to add detail. Another similar phrase is �to flesh it out. � |
8 Jun 2012
|
|
|
jarek2011
|
|
I love you guys - when there is anything that makes me scratch my head you always come up with an answer. Thank you so much! |
8 Jun 2012
|
|
|
yanogator
|
|
Lynne, is that a common expression in England? Here in the US, we use Lynne �s expression, but I don �t think I �ve heard yours. It makes sense, but isn �t used here. Bruce |
8 Jun 2012
|
|
|
cunliffe
|
|
Hello Bruce. Flesh it out is more common - meaning to add detail, etc. Put meat on the bone, I �m not so sure. It is understandable, but not at all common in that sense. I think we are most likely to hear it in this kind of context - �she needs to put some meat on her bones �. It �s not a problem I �ve got, thank goodness. |
8 Jun 2012
|
|
|
foose1
|
|
We also sometimes say, "I need a little more meat added to it so the mice will bite." This means upper management in a large company or sometimes customers (normally Engineers working for Boeing or Airbus). Sometimes, amongst the Electronic Engineers, I would hear, "we need to add some more meat to the bone" referring to pilots who want more bang for their buck in their flight controls. This was also used by British Engineers and mostly American Engineering for whom I worked with. Sometimes, I would hear, "can you add a little more meat to it" in a general conversation concerning a presentation that was presented to our customers (Airbus/Boeing/Cessna, Learjet and more). I never used the term because I wasn �t in the postion to use it except when dealing with foreign suppliers from alll around the world. Unfortunately I couldn �t use it because I knew they wouldn �t understand what I was talking about. John |
8 Jun 2012
|
|
|
Dameon
|
|
Hi Guys,
I am from Northern England and we use this saying a lot !! A good example of its use is
John - Wow it is so cold in here !! Dameon - you need to add some meat on your bones !!
in this example it is saying you need to fatten up a little.
also we use this saying when we talk about a good looking but very skinny lady that might look better with a bit of extra weight.
Dameon - She could do with a bit more meat on the bone !!
and like Foose1 said we use this a lot when wanting someone to add more information to a presentation or report etc.
John - this is a good start for your presentation but it needs a little more meat to it !!
hope this helps :D
regards Dameon
|
8 Jun 2012
|
|
|
PhilipR
|
|
You could also use it as a metaphor. For instance, when you are using a course book that doesn �t have a lot of activities or exercises in it (and you go through it quickly and need to use supplementary stuff), you might say that the book hasn �t got a lot of meat on the bones. |
8 Jun 2012
|
|
|
miyoko71
|
|
In Morocco we have sth similar to that and we mean by it that someone is too thin
We rather say"skin on bone" |
9 Jun 2012
|
|
|
