close to the bone
• (of a remark) penetrating and accurate to the point of causing discomfort.
• "the headmaster was getting a little too close to the bone for my liking"
to the bone
• (of a wound) so deep as to expose a person's bone.
• "his thigh had been axed open to the bone"
• used to emphasize that a person has a specified quality in an overwhelming or fundamental way.
• "he's a cop to the bone"
