hone• So things were changed, honed down, made to appear not quite so militaristic.• It was during this period that Bushhoned his diplomatic skills.• The student has to hone his skills to develop the power and speed to push the material past that limit.• Markaccepted this and used the waiting period to improve relationships and hone his skills.• It honed in on the prototypicalshape that was behind all the degradedimages.• An election could come at any time, and policies across the board were being honed in readiness.
honing ... skills• It suited my wanderingnature, my penchant for traversing the neighborhoods of San Francisco, honing my skills as a boulevardier.• I left for school before most kids were up, honing those high-achievement skills early.
Originhone
(1800-1900)hone“stone for making things sharp”((14-19 centuries)), from Old Englishhon“stone”