| English > English |
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| bone of contention |
| 1. n. Something that continues to be disputed; something on which no agreement can be reached |
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| It is still a bone of contention whether to go ahead with the original plan in light of the new evidence. |
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| Analysis |
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| bone |
| 1. n. A composite material consisting largely of calcium phosphate and collagen and making up the skeleton of most vertebrates. |
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| 2. n. Any of the components of an endoskeleton, made of bone. |
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| 3. n. A bone of a fish; a fishbone. |
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| 4. n. A bonefish |
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| 5. n. One of the rigid parts of a corset that forms its frame, the boning, originally made of whalebone. |
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| of |
| 1. prep. Expressing distance or motion. |
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| 2. prep. (now obsolete, or dialectal) From (of distance, direction), "off". |
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| 3. prep. (obsolete except in phrases) Since, from (a given time, earlier state etc.). |
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| 4. prep. From, away from (a position, number, distance etc.). |
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| There are no shops within twenty miles of the cottage. |
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| contention |
| 1. n. Argument, contest, debate, strife, struggle. |
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| 2. n. A point maintained in an argument, or a line of argument taken in its support; the subject matter of discussion of strife; a position taken or contended for. |
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| It is my contention that state lotteries are taxes on stupid people. |
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| 3. n. (computing, telecommunications) Competition by parts of a system or its users for a limited resource. |
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