homework

In the context from Tony Blair's political memoirs; what is meant by the proverbial dog with a bone?

 

Tony Blair explains in his political memoirs his time with Derry Irvine as the most interesting, giving and inspiring time. It was a lesson learned in full. Tony Blair described Derry Irvine as a genius and an unconventional thinker when it came to solving hopeless cases. He uses the expression "the proverbial dog with a bone" whilst explaining the working method of Derry Irvine and by using this Tony Blair gives the reader a metaphorical understanding for how excessively Derry Irvine worked with his cases:" He would gnaw at it, examine it, turn it over, bury it, dig it up, step back and stare at it". Just like a dog is only focused on his bone and spend all his attention on finding a piece of meat, Derry Irvine examined his cases in the deepest and most careful way. Furthermore he did not gave up easily; "He would not stop or reflect until he had got every bit of meat there was off it, had extracted its essence and mastered it". There was no other way than solving a case for Derry Irvine, whether it took a lot of time or a lot of hard work, he made it. Tony Blair's admiration for Derry Irvine's way of working in the matter of his unconventional way of analyzing and studying cases from a different way was the greatest lesson he ever had. Tony Blair is eternally thankful for have had the chance to have learned from "the proverbial dog with a bone" .