骨ほね抜ぬき

ほ

ね

ぬ

き

Common wordFreq.FrequencyTop 50,000

Meanings

noun, noun which may take the genitive case particle 'no'

boning; deboning

The physical act of removing bones from fish or meat.

noun, noun which may take the genitive case particle 'no'

watering down; weakening; emasculation

Figurative use: removing the substance, force, or effectiveness from a plan, bill, argument, or person. Often used in political or critical contexts.

〈物もの〉を骨ほね抜ぬきにするto debone (fish, meat, etc.)
料りょう理り人にんはサンマを骨ほね抜ぬきにした。
The chef deboned the mackerel pike.
〈事こと〉を骨ほね抜ぬきにするto water down or gut a plan, bill, or argument
野や党とうの反はん対たいで法ほう案あんは骨ほね抜ぬきにされた。
The bill was watered down due to the opposition party's objections.
〈事こと〉が骨ほね抜ぬきになるfor a plan or measure to end up watered down
改かい革かく案あんは骨ほね抜ぬきになってしまった。
The reform plan ended up being watered down.

形けい骸がい化か sense 2
形骸化 describes a plan or system losing its substance and becoming a mere formality, while 骨抜き often implies someone deliberately weakened it.
弱じゃく体たい化か sense 2
弱体化 is a general word for weakening (an organization, opponent, etc.), whereas 骨抜き specifically evokes stripping out the core substance of a plan or argument.
去きょ勢せい
骨抜き describes gutting a plan, policy, or person's resolve of its substance, while 去勢 in the figurative sense implies stripping away power or vigor more forcefully.

骨ほね折おり
骨折り means effort or hard work despite sharing the kanji 骨 with 骨抜き, which instead means removing bones or gutting something of its substance.

Compound of 骨 (bone) and 抜き (removing, from 抜く). Literally 'bone removal', extended figuratively to mean removing the core or strength of something.