crack of bone

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "crack of bone" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used to describe the sound or sensation associated with a bone breaking or fracturing. Example: "As he fell, there was a sickening crack of bone that echoed through the silence."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Science

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

4 human-written examples

The sickening crack of bone.

The New Yorker

At the 100th crack of bone against bone the spectators started getting excited and business suddenly increased for the bookmakers chanting odds in the Basque language known as Euskerra.

The Guardian

48 min: In an email entitled "crack of bone - funny story" Bruce Cooper writes: "I was playing on my week-night pub team and one of my friends went down injured," he says.

The Guardian - Sport

The what still always slams like a piston into the skull, and for all the pontificating about the Thugs Buford deftly and eruditely attempts, the what of their violence remains both inscrutable and intensely present and remains the primary concern, felt in the sting and the sweat and the blood and the crack of bone upon concrete.

Huffington Post

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

56 human-written examples

"We've found undoubting evidence for defleshing, disarticulation, human chewing, crushing of spongy bone, and the cracking of bones to extract marrow," she said.

BBC

An unpaired t-test analysis demonstrated that the crack initiation fracture toughness of bone under shear and tear loading were significantly greater than that under tensile loading in both longitudinal and transverse fracture (P<0.0001 for all).

Materials Science and Engineering: C

There are scenes, he added, "that are hard to bear -- the cracking of a bone, the severing of a nerve, the desperate consumption of a water bag filled with urine -- but what these moments communicate is more than worth a jolt of discomfort or a spasm of revulsion.

The New York Times

There are scenes in "127 Hours" that are hard to bear — the cracking of a bone, the severing of a nerve, the desperate consumption of a water bag filled with urine — but what these moments communicate is more than worth a jolt of discomfort or a spasm of revulsion.

The New York Times

Seconds later came the crack of wood meeting bone.

The New Yorker

Such crack formation is a part of bone physiology.

Acta Orthopaedica

In the case of this particular group, he says, it appears that they were the meal for other very hungry Neandertals since they cracked open every tiny bit of bone for marrow and smashed the skulls for brain parts.

Science Magazine

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Use "crack of bone" to create a vivid auditory image of a bone breaking, especially in descriptive writing.

Common error

Avoid using "crack of bone" as a generic term for any injury. This phrase specifically refers to the sound or sensation of a bone fracturing, not soft tissue damage or other ailments.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "crack of bone" primarily functions as a noun phrase. It describes the sound or sensation associated with a bone breaking. Ludwig examples confirm its use in descriptive contexts where a vivid auditory image is desired.

Expression frequency: Rare

Frequent in

News & Media

50%

Science

50%

Formal & Business

0%

Less common in

Encyclopedias

0%

Wiki

0%

Reference

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

The phrase "crack of bone" is a noun phrase that vividly describes the sound or sensation of a bone breaking. While grammatically correct, its usage is relatively rare, as noted by Ludwig. It primarily appears in News & Media and Science contexts to create a dramatic or realistic effect. Alternatives include "fracture of bone" or "snap of bone". Ludwig AI confirms the phrase is correct and usable, but cautions against using it as a generic injury term.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

fracture of bone

Replaces "crack" with a synonym emphasizing the breaking aspect.

snap of bone

Uses "snap" to describe the sound of breaking, similar to "crack".

break of bone

Simple substitution of "crack" with "break".

sound of bone breaking

Describes the sound event directly.

fractured bone sound

Rearranges the words while retaining the meaning.

bone fracture

Concise term for bone breakage.

bone breakage

General term for when a bone breaks.

splitting of bone

Emphasizes separation aspect of breaking.

cracking sound of bone

Highlights the audible component of the fracture.

bone's sharp crack

Changes the structure to emphasize the bone and sound

FAQs

How to use "crack of bone" in a sentence?

You can use "crack of bone" to describe the sound made when a bone breaks, as in "As he fell, there was a sickening "crack of bone" that echoed through the silence".

What can I say instead of "crack of bone"?

You can use alternatives like "fracture of bone", "snap of bone", or "break of bone" depending on the context.

Is "crack of bone" a literal or figurative expression?

"Crack of bone" is generally used literally to describe the sound of a bone breaking. However, it could be used figuratively to emphasize a severe or sudden change.

In what contexts is it appropriate to use the phrase "crack of bone"?

It's appropriate in contexts where you want to vividly describe an injury or event involving bone breakage, particularly in narrative or descriptive writing. It is suitable for "News & Media" or when trying to illustrate the horror of the injury.