For the last-comer the bones.
For the last-comer the bones.
Meaning in plain English
Someone arriving after a resource has been divided may find only leftovers. The bones image warns about distribution and timing without making that unequal result fair or deserved.
Example
An event organiser reserves materials for later arrivals instead of allowing the earliest visitors to take everything available.
Deeper explanation and when to use it
The last arrival receives bones instead of the more substantial part of a meal. This can picture an opportunity diminished before everyone has a chance to participate. A useful reading can ask how information, access and allocation were arranged, rather than simply blame the late arrival. Timing may matter, but people can have legitimate reasons for arriving later. The proverb describes a sharp contrast in what remains; it does not justify excluding someone from a fair share.
When to use it
Use it to question how a limited resource is shared over time.
Keep in mind
Being last does not remove a person’s entitlement to fair treatment or establish fault.
Edsverb editorial interpretation · agent reviewed · 2026-10-05. This explains the saying; it does not establish its historical origin.
- Source
- A Polyglot of Foreign Proverbs (1857)
Printed page 6; French section, paragraph 116; source wording: Au dernier les os.
Read the original context ↗ - Attribution confidence
- traditional · historical anthology
Preserved as printed; independently unverified. - Historical coordinate
- Undated
No reliable date supplied by the collection. - Rights & edition
- Public domain (United States)
Translations and rights may differ elsewhere.
Provenance and licences ↗