have a bone in one's leg

verb

Used as a fatuous excuse to avoid doing something.

“- Jimmy, run along to the shop and get some potatoes. - I can't: I've got a bone in my leg.”

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Meanings

verbhave a bone in one's leg (third-person singular simple present has a bone in one's leg, present participle having a bone in one's leg, simple past and past participle had a bone in one's leg)

present singular third person has a bone in one's leg · participle present having a bone in one's leg · participle past had a bone in one's leg · past had a bone in one's leg

  1. UKinformalUsed as a fatuous excuse to avoid doing something.

    - Jimmy, run along to the shop and get some potatoes. - I can't: I've got a bone in my leg.

Cite this entry
APA

have a bone in one's leg. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/have%20a%20bone%20in%20one's%20leg

MLA

“have a bone in one's leg.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/have%20a%20bone%20in%20one's%20leg. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “have a bone in one's leg,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/have%20a%20bone%20in%20one's%20leg.

Source: have a bone in one's leg on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.