bone up

verb

1. informal,  (adverb; when intr, usually foll by on) to study intensively

Idioms and Phrases

Study intensely, as in I'll have to bone up on my Spanish if I'm to pass the language requirement. The verb bone alone was used in this sense from the mid-1800s on, up being added later. [Slang; late 1800s]

Example Sentences

How did so many bones up and vanish?

From Science Magazine

It doesn’t require boning up, unlike a complex ballot proposition.

From Los Angeles Times

That means he’s had 37 years — half his life — to bone up on the issues.

From Los Angeles Times

Per the film, this is a natural consequence of not boning up on your “Emily Post.”

From Salon

Della Donna started boning up on criminal law, talking to every criminal attorney she could find and eventually turning to UCI Law School.

From Seattle Times