jawbone

[jaw-bohn]

jaw·bone

[jaw-bohn] noun, verb, jaw·boned, jaw·bon·ing, adjective
noun
1.
a bone of either jaw; a maxilla or mandible.
2.
the bone of the lower jaw; mandible.
verb (used with object), verb (used without object)
3.
Informal. to attempt to influence or pressure by persuasion rather than by the exertion of force or one's authority, as in urging voluntary compliance with economic guidelines: The President jawboned the steel industry into postponing price increases.

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Jawbone is one of our favorite verbs.
So is yaff. Does it mean:
to bark; yelp.
to run away hurriedly; flee.
adjective
4.
Informal. obtained by or resorting to such a practice: jawbone controls.

Origin:
1480–90; jaw1 + bone

jaw·bon·ing, noun, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Collins
World English Dictionary
jawbone (ˈdʒɔːˌbəʊn)
 
n
1.  mandible a nontechnical name for maxilla
 
vb
2.  (US) to try to persuade or bring pressure to bear (on) by virtue of one's high office or position, esp in urging compliance with official policy

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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American Heritage
Medical Dictionary

jawbone jaw·bone (jô'bōn')
n.
The maxilla or, especially, the mandible.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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Slang Dictionary

jaw(bone) definition


  1. tv.
    to try to persuade someone verbally; to apply verbal pressure to someone. : They tried to jawbone me into doing it.
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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