bred-in-the-bone

[ bred-n-th uh-bohn ]
/ ˈbrɛd n ðəˈboʊn /

adjective

firmly instilled or established as if by heredity: the bred-in-the-bone integrity of the school's headmaster.
deeply committed or resolved; unwavering: a bred-in-the-bone believer in civil rights.

Origin of bred-in-the-bone

from the proverb “What is bred in the bone will not come out of the flesh,” first recorded in England (in Latin) circa 1290, widespread in various versions since the 15th cent.

Words nearby bred-in-the-bone

brecknockshire, brecksville, brecon, breconshire, bred, bred-in-the-bone, breda, breda's disease, brede, bredie, bredren

Example sentences from the Web for bred-in-the-bone

  • Theodore Roosevelt was a thoroughgoing, bred-in-the-bone individualist, but not as the term is ordinarily understood.

    Theodore Roosevelt and His Times |Harold Howland

  • But one can never reckon with real, bred-in-the-bone old-maidism.

    Chronicles of Avonlea |Lucy Maud Montgomery