Idiom Origins - Put flesh on the bones of something - History of Put flesh on the bones of something

Put flesh on the bones of something

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Origin of: Put flesh on the bones of something

Put flesh on the bones of something

Expressions like ‘put or add flesh or meat’ to something mean to add more details in order to get a fuller, more complete understanding of something ot other. These figurative uses, from the allusion of adding flesh or meat to skeletons, date from the 1660s. See also Flesh out.