bred-in-the-bone

American  

[bred-n-thuh-bohn] / ˈbrɛd n ðəˈboʊn /

adjective

1. firmly instilled or established as if by heredity.

   the bred-in-the-bone integrity of the school's headmaster.

2. deeply committed or resolved; unwavering.

   a bred-in-the-bone believer in civil rights.

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Etymology

Origin of bred-in-the-bone

First recorded in 1450–1500; late Middle English; from the proverb “What is bred in the bone will not come out of the flesh,” first recorded in England (in Latin ) circa 1290, and widespread in various versions

Example Sentences

Liebling, and its power came from a bred-in-the-bone love of what we eat and how we eat it.

From Washington Post • Apr. 6, 2023

That the Mets, owing to uncertainty about his health and perhaps to their bred-in-the-bone cheapness, did not spend months planning Wright’s comeback/retirement lent a welcome spontaneity to this celebration.

From New York Times • Sep. 30, 2018

“I detest Parfit,” said Echikunwoke, with bred-in-the-bone conviction.

From New York Times • Mar. 18, 2012

Others have pointed to practical objections – US philanthropy comes from a completely different relationship between the public sphere and the arts: the US has a bred-in-the-bone culture of giving that we lack.

From The Guardian • Oct. 21, 2010

With such bred-in-the-bone sense of time as the artist commands, it is little wonder he takes no great interest in mechanical time-beating.

From Piano Mastery Talks with Master Pianists and Teachers by Brower, Harriette