Definitions

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun A form of machine-sewing in which two or more parallel lines of stitches are made in the fabric: used especially in corset-making as a means of holding the bones in place. See two-needle machine, under sewing-machine.
  • noun The act or art of determining a level or plane surface or a straight level line by the guidance of the eye.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun The clearing of bones from fish or meat.
  • noun The manuring of land with bones.
  • noun A method of leveling a line or surface by sighting along the tops of two or more straight edges, or a range of properly spaced poles. See 3d Bone, v. t.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • verb Present participle of bone.
  • noun The removal of bones from fish etc; filleting.
  • noun The arrangement of bones in a corset.

Etymologies

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Examples

  • The boning is also more flexible than a regular girdle.

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  • A sixth-grade civics book is one start, and Wikipedia entries can be helpful in boning up on the facts.

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  • What does is a tailoring device called "boning" - thin strips of plastic.

    Bergdorf Goodman: Compound Interest Cosmo7 2009

  • The simplest method is known as boning; to work out a contour map of the site is more complicated.

    Article Source 2009

  • By the end of hour three, during which John was singularly focused on "boning" one of the female characters and nothing much else happened, I was beyond bored.

    Ed Martin: HBO's New Oddity: John from Cincinnati 2008

  • Most of these milestones involve learning and honing a technical skill such as boning a chicken or mincing garlic with the back of a knife at a breakneck speed - a vital skill that I have yet to accomplish or making a certain dish or component of one.

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  • Andy was "boning" on his German, with which he had had considerable difficulty.

    Andy at Yale Or, The Great Quadrangle Mystery Roy Eliot Stokes

  • One will be studying music, another art; one "boning" at medicine, another selling stories to the newspapers and living in hope of one day writing a great American play or novel.

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  • "Let's see," suggested Andy, rather glad of the diversion and of the chance to stop studying, for he had been "boning" hard.

    Andy at Yale Or, The Great Quadrangle Mystery Roy Eliot Stokes

  • January examinations were close at hand, while others were "boning" steadily, doing their level best to stand well in their classes.

    Frank Merriwell's Chums Burt L. Standish 1905

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