marrowbone
(ˈmærəʊbəʊn)
[f. marrow n.1]
1. A bone containing edible marrow.
| c 1386 Chaucer Prol. 380 A Cook they hadde with hem for the nones, To boille the chiknes with the Marybones. c 1430 Two Cookery-bks. 5 Take beeff and merybonys, and boyle yt in fayre water. 1555 W. Watreman Fardle Facions ii. vii. 158 The bridegrome eateth to his supper..a litle of the maribone of a Chamel. 1632 T. Morton New Eng. Canaan ii. vii. (1838) 59 For daintinesse of diet they [Basse] excell the Marybones of Beefe. 1768–74 Tucker Lt. Nat. (1834) II. 655 There is no more reason..why the sight of a human skull and bones in a charnel-house should shock us more than the sight of a calve's head or a pair of marrow-bones in a dish. 1846 G. Warburton Hochelaga I. 155 The wretch sucked a couple more marrow bones, and became torpid. |
b. fig. in various applications.
| 1554 Latimer Wks. (Parker Soc.) II. 483 Ye said upon Saturday last, that ye could not find the mass nor the marrow-bones thereof in your book. 1634 S. R. Noble Soldier i. ii. in Bullen O. Pl. (1882) I. 268 What I knocke out now is the very Maribone of mirth. 1681 W. Robertson Phraseol. Gen. (1693) 471 This is the marrow bone of the difference or matter. 1878 N. Amer. Rev. CXXVII. 13 The scraps and marrow-bones of office. |
2. marrowbones and cleavers: see
cleaver1 2 b.
3. pl. Jocularly: The knees. (Rarely
sing.)
| 1532 More Confut. Tindale Wks. 727/2 Down he fel vpon his maribones. 1667 Dryden & Dk. Newcastle Sir M. Mar-all ii. ii, Down on your marrowbones, and confess the truth. 1791 Wolcot (P. Pindar) Remonstrance i, Bring on his marrowbones th' apostate down. 1870 Kingsley Legend La Brea 95 Magic brings some positivists Humbly on their marrowbone. 1888 G. Macdonald Elect Lady 108, I only want to bring them to their marrow-bones. |
b. to ride in the marrow-bone coach or stage, to go on foot. [? With allusion to
Marybone = Marylebone.]
| 1838 Monthly Mag. (Flügel), Marrow-bone stage. |
4. pl. = cross-bones.
| 1832 Scott Redgauntlet ch. xiv. [xv.], I..sailed under the black flag and marrow-bones. 1875 W. M{supc}Ilwraith Guide Wigtownshire 40 Here are the typical marrow-bones, skull, and sandglass. |
5. pl. (
slang). Fists as weapons; ? pugilists.
| a 1625 Fletcher Noble Gent. iii. i. (1st fol.) 35/1 The great Band Of Maribones that people call the Switzers. 1812 Sporting Mag. XL. 249 He was alike a stranger to fear in the field of either bayonets or marrowbones. 1818 Ibid. N.S. II. 165 The distance of twenty-four miles from Lunnun rather damped the ardour of the Marrow-bone fraternity. |
† 6. A child's game.
Obs.| 1532 More Confut. Tindale Wks. 574/2 Suche..playes..as chyldren be woont to playe, as cheristone, mary bone [etc.]. |
7. attrib., as
† marrowbone-man (? sense 2 ? or 5),
marrowbone music,
marrowbone pie,
marrowbone pudding (
cf. marrow pie,
pudding).
| 1614 B. Jonson Barth. Fair i. i, None but a scatterd couey of Fidlers, or one of these Rag-rakers in dung-hills, or some *Marrow-bone man at most, would haue beene vp, when thou wert gone abroad. |
| 1884 Graphic 13 Sept. 270/3 Making the most unearthly ‘*marrow-bone’ music on frying pans, tin kettles and empty pails. |
| 1595 W. W. Menæcmi i. ii. in Six Old Plays (1779) 118 Some oysters, a *mary-bone pie or two, some artichockes, and potato rootes. 1608 Middleton Mad World i. ii. B 1 b, All her wanton Pamphlets, as Hero and Leander, Venus and Adonis, oh two lushious mary-bone pies for a yong married wife. |
| 1623 Webster Deuils Law-case i. ii. B 4 b, Let none of these come at her..Nor the woman with *Maribone puddings. |