marrow-bones
Preserved but no longer current.
The knees; "I’ll bring him down upon his MARROW BONES," i.e., I’ll make him bend his knees as he does to the Virgin Mary. Supposed to be from Mary Bones, an objectionable term used by the first Protestants in reference to the supposed adoration of the Virgin Mary by Catholics.
Era: ca. 1874 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Historical definition reproduced from Hotten’s The Slang Dictionary (1874, public domain; Project Gutenberg #42108, retrieved 2026-07-31). Reflects the attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “marrow-bones” mean?
The knees; "I’ll bring him down upon his MARROW BONES," i.e., I’ll make him bend his knees as he does to the Virgin Mary. Supposed to be from Mary Bones, an objectionable term used by the first Protestants in reference to the supposed adoration of the Virgin Mary by Catholics.
Is “marrow-bones” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.