bred-in-the-bone
Also found in: Idioms.
bred-in-the-bone
(brĕd′n-thə-bōn′)adj.
1. Deeply instilled; firmly established: bred-in-the-bone loyalty.
2. Persistent; habitual: a bred-in-the-bone liberal.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
bred-in-the-bone
(ˈbrɛd n ðəˈboʊn)adj.
1. firmly instilled: bred-in-the-bone integrity.
2. inveterate: a bred-in-the-bone socialist.
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.