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contention

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a bone of contention

An unresolved problem, dispute, or disagreement. Jerry leaving his dirty dishes in the sink for days became a bone of contention between him and his roommate.

See also: bone, contention, of

in contention

Among those eligible to win something; in competition. Don't count them out just because they've been on a losing streak—they're still in contention for that final playoff spot.

See also: contention

bone of contention

Fig. the subject or point of an argument; an unsettled point of disagreement. We've fought for so long that we've forgotten what the bone of contention is. The question of a fence between the houses has become quite a bone of contention.

See also: bone, contention, of

a bone of contention

a matter of disagreement Legal costs have continued to be a bone of contention between the two groups.

See also: bone, contention, of

a bone of contention

something that people argue about for a long time The main bone of contention was deciding who would take care of the children after the divorce.

See also: bone, contention, of

bone of contention

Main issue of a disagreement; something to quarrel about. For example, Grandfather's will was a bone of contention for the whole family. This expression alludes to two dogs fighting (contending) over a single bone. In slightly different guise, bone of dissension, it was used figuratively in the 16th century and took its present form in the early 1700s.

See also: bone, contention, of

bone of contention

The subject of a dispute.

See also: bone, contention, of