bone of contention

American  

noun

1. a subject, cause, or focal point of a dispute.

   The terms of the old man's will were a bone of contention to his survivors.

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bone of contention British  

noun

1. the grounds or subject of a dispute

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bone of contention Idioms  

1. Main issue of a disagreement; something to quarrel about. For example, Grandfather's will was a bone of contention for the whole family. This expression alludes to two dogs fighting (contending) over a single bone. In slightly different guise, bone of dissension, it was used figuratively in the 16th century and took its present form in the early 1700s.

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Etymology

Origin of bone of contention

First recorded in 1705–15

Example Sentences

Bone of contention between the Radicals and Don Tinto was the President's strong right hand, Minister of the Interior Arturo Olavarria Bravo.

From Time Magazine Archive

Bone of contention: their daughter Jayne Marie, 5, whose mama, claimed Flack Mansfield, is "not a fit and proper person" to raise little Jayne.

From Time Magazine Archive