hone in

hone in
intransitive verb Etymology: alteration of home in Date: 1965 to move toward or focus attention on an objective <
looking back for the ball honing in — George Plimpton
>
<
a missile honing in on its target — Bob Greene
>
<
hones in on the plights and victories of the common man — Lisa Russell
>
Usage: The few commentators who have noticed hone in consider it to be a mistake for home in. It may have arisen from home in by the weakening of the \m\ sound to \n\ or may perhaps simply be due to the influence of hone. Though it seems to have established itself in American English (and mention in a British usage book suggests it is used in British English too), your use of it especially in writing is likely to be called a mistake. Home in or in figurative use zero in does nicely.

New Collegiate Dictionary. 2001.

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  • Hone — Hone, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Honed} (h[=o]nd); p. pr. & vb. n. {Honing}.] 1. To sharpen on, or with, a hone; to rub on a hone in order to sharpen; as, to hone a razor. [1913 Webster] 2. to render more precise or more effective; as, to hone one s… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

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  • hone in on — ˌhone ˈin on [transitive] [present tense I/you/we/they hone in on he/she/it hones in on present participle honing in on past tense …   Useful english dictionary

  • Hone — Hone, n. [AS. h[=a]n; akin to Icel. hein, OSw. hen; cf. Skr. [,c][=a][.n]a, also [,c][=o], [,c]i, to sharpen, and E. cone. [root]38, 228.] A stone of a fine grit, or a slab, as of metal, covered with an abrading substance or powder, used for… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Hone — ist der Nachname folgender Personen: Evelyn Dennison Hone (1911–1979), Gouverneur Nordrhodesiens (Herbert) Ralph Hone (1896–1992), britischer Major General, Barrister sowie Gouverneur von British North Borneo Siehe auch: Honen …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • hone — [ houn ] verb transitive 1. ) to improve a skill or talent that is already well developed 2. ) to make the blade of a knife sharp by rubbing it on a special stone ,hone in on phrasal verb transitive hone in on something to give all your attention …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

  • hone — hone·stone; hone·wort; hone; …   English syllables

  • hone — hone1 [hōn] n. [ME < OE han, a stone, akin to ON hein, a hone < IE base * ko(i) , to sharpen, whet > L cos, whetstone, cotes, sharp rock, Gr kōnos, cone] a fine grained, hard stone used to sharpen cutting tools vt. honed, honing 1. to… …   English World dictionary

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