meat on the bones
A substantial addition to or augmentation of the content of something, especially something which is unfinished or incomplete.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
“This rough draft needs more meat on the bones.”
“The report is a good start, but you need to add more meat on the bones before the meeting.”
“While the initial proposal outlined a promising vision, it lacked the necessary meat on the bones to convince the board of its long-term viability.”
- 01
bag of bones
A skinny, malnourished person or animal.
- 02
chew the meat and spit out the bones
To take in a great deal of information and selectively disregard some of it as invalid or inapplicable.
- 03
dead meat
Someone in danger of being killed or severely punished.
- 04
find no bones in
To experience no hindrances or obstacles; to do something without hesitation.
- 05
jump someone's bones
To have sex with someone; to initiate the physical move.
- 06
keep the bones green
To maintain good health and vitality.
- 07
make bones about
To do, indicate, or say something vaguely and with hesitation.
- 08
make no bones about
To do, indicate, or say something clearly and without hesitation, even if it may be unpleasant.
Last updated August 10, 2026