work oneself to the bone

A form of work one's fingers to the bone — To work especially hard, usually for an extended period.

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Meanings

verbwork oneself to the bone (third-person singular simple present works oneself to the bone, present participle working oneself to the bone, simple past and past participle worked oneself to the bone)

present singular third person works oneself to the bone · participle present working oneself to the bone · participle past worked oneself to the bone · past worked oneself to the bone

  1. alternativeAlternative form of work one's fingers to the bone.

    The men who do not take the trouble to conceal from you their opinion that you are an incompetent ass, and the women who blacken your character and misunderstand your wife's amusements, will work themselves to the bone in your behalf if you fall sick or into serious trouble.

    1888, Rudyard Kipling, “The Phantom Rickshaw”, in The Phantom 'Rickshaw and Other Tales, Allahabad: A.H. Wheeler and Co., page 7
Cite this entry
APA

work oneself to the bone. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/work%20oneself%20to%20the%20bone

MLA

“work oneself to the bone.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/work%20oneself%20to%20the%20bone. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “work oneself to the bone,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/work%20oneself%20to%20the%20bone.

Source: work oneself to the bone on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.