bred in the bone
 bred in the bone — see breed, 1
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 Main Entry: bone
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 bred in the bone
   — used to describe a personal quality that is a deep or basic part of someone's nature
   His love of sports is bred in the bone. [=ingrained]
  
   — often used as bred-in-the-bone before another noun
   He is a bred-in-the-bone conservative.
  
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 Main Entry: breed