bone up

English

Etymology

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Pronunciation

• Audio (General Australian):

  (file)

Verb

bone up (third-person singular simple present bones up, present participle boning up, simple past and past participle boned up)

1. (intransitive, slang) To study or cram, especially in order to refresh one's knowledge of a topic.

   Synonyms: brush up, review, revise, rub up

   • 1913, William Christian Schmeisser, Are You Going To College?, page 132:

     Information acquired in that way, makes an impression ; this "boning" up for an examination is all right as a finishing touch, but it will not last.

   • 1914, Kathleen Norris, chapter 2, in Saturday's Child:

     Here's your chance to bone up on the segregating, or crediting, or whatever you call it.

   • 2004 September 14, Kate Novack, “Fashion Literacy”, in Time:

     Now is the perfect time to bone up on your fashion history.

Usage notes

• In contemporary usage bone up is intransitive and often followed by on, or for, but in dated usage it was sometimes used with a direct object, as in:

1921, P. G. Wodehouse, chapter 17, in Indiscretions of Archie:

My idea was to get this book and coach the dear old chap. Rehearse him, don't you know. He could bone up the early chapters a bit and then drift round and try his convincing talk on me.

Translations

to study — see also study,‎ cram

• French: potasser (fr)
• Greek: ξεσκονίζω (el) (xeskonízo)
• Polish: podkuwać impf, podkuć pf
• Russian: зубри́ть (ru) n (zubrítʹ)
• Spanish: quemarse las pestañas (es)

See also

• ramp up