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marrow

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chill (one) to the marrow

To make or be very cold. A pronoun does not have to be used between "chill" and "to." ("Marrow" is the soft tissue found inside bones.) Primarily heard in UK, Australia. After shoveling snow for hours, I am just chilled to the marrow. The wind from the mountain chilled us to the marrow.

See also: chill, marrow

*chilled to the bone

Fig. very cold. (*Typically: be ~; get ~.) I got chilled to the bone in that snowstorm. The children were chilled to the bone from their swim in the ocean.

See also: bone, chill

chill somebody to the bone/marrow

to make someone feel very frightened The sound of scraping at the window chilled me to the bone.

See also: bone, chill

be chilled to the bone/marrow

to be very cold After an hour standing at the bus stop I was chilled to the bone.

See also: bone, chill

be chilled/frozen to the marrow

  (British & Australian)

to be extremely cold

Usage notes: Marrow is the soft material in the middle of your bones.

After an hour on the mountain, we were chilled to the marrow.

See chill to the bone, be chilled to the bone

See also: chill, marrow

chilled to the bone

Also, chilled to the marrow. Extremely or bitterly cold, as in After skiing in the wind for five hours straight, I was chilled to the bone. These hyperboles replaced the earlier idea of one's blood freezing and are more picturesque than the current synonym frozen.

See also: bone, chill