A Bone to Pick

What it means

A complaint about someone that you fully intend to raise with them directly.

Where it comes from

A dog given a bone works at it for a long time, and the phrase has meant an unfinished grievance since around the 1500s. A bone of contention is different, being one two dogs fight over.

The puzzle it came from

A Bone to Pick was the answer to the Phrasicle of July 31, 2025. The clue read A ____ to ____, and the words came out of a grid where every neighbouring pair makes a two-word phrase.

Play today's Phrasicle Play the July 31, 2025 puzzle