bone of contention


noun

a subject, cause, or focal point of a dispute: The terms of the old man's will were a bone of contention to his survivors.

Origin of bone of contention

First recorded in 1705–15

British Dictionary definitions for bone of contention

bone of contention

noun

the grounds or subject of a dispute

Idioms and Phrases with bone of contention

bone of contention

Main issue of a disagreement; something to quarrel about. For example, Grandfather's will was a bone of contention for the whole family. This expression alludes to two dogs fighting (contending) over a single bone. In slightly different guise, bone of dissension, it was used figuratively in the 16th century and took its present form in the early 1700s.