Words / A1

WISHB-ohn/ˈwɪʃbəʊn/

A wishbone is a small Y-shaped bone from a cooked chicken or turkey; two people pull the ends and the person with the bigger piece makes a wish. Countable: a wishbone, wishbones. Write one word: wishbone. A bone is the general word; a wish is a hope in your head, not a thing on a plate. Mix-up: wish + bone as two list words — this is one bone with a custom.

Meaning

A small Y-shaped bone from a chicken; two people pull it to make a wish.

Examples

• “We pulled the wishbone after dinner.”
• “Save the wishbone from the roast chicken.”
• “Who got the bigger piece of the wishbone?”

Good to know

a wishbone (one word, Y-shape, chicken). Contrast: bone (general), wish (hope). Mix-up: wish + bone.

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