I have a bone in my arm.
I have a bone in my arm.
Meaning in plain English
The phrase offers having a bone in one’s arm as an explanation. Without its conversational setting, it does not say which action the speaker is avoiding or describing.
Example
A listener asks what makes a requested task difficult rather than accepting or dismissing an incomplete explanation.
Deeper explanation and when to use it
The ordinary bodily feature makes the statement potentially comic: the explanation may fail to distinguish this speaker from anyone else. A qualified interpretation can examine an excuse that sounds concrete without addressing the actual request. It should not imply that a reported difficulty is always insincere or identify an injury the text does not mention.
When to use it
Use it to examine a potentially comic, context-dependent explanation.
Keep in mind
No specific excuse, injury or originating episode is independently established here.
Edsverb editorial interpretation · agent reviewed · 2026-10-05. This explains the saying; it does not establish its historical origin.
- Source
- A Dictionary of English Proverbs and Proverbial Phrases
Entry 143 · Bone
Read the original context ↗ - Attribution confidence
- traditional · historical anthology
Preserved as printed; independently unverified. - Historical coordinate
- Undated
No reliable date supplied by the collection. - Rights & edition
- Public domain (United States)
Translations and rights may differ elsewhere.
Provenance and licences ↗