hones in
Narrows the focus
Hones in means to focus attention or effort on something with increasing precision, as in She honed in on the key issue.
This phrase is widely used but arose from confusion with "homes in," which refers to moving toward a target like a homing missile.
Traditionalists consider "hones in" an error since hone properly means to sharpen, but the phrase has become so common that many dictionaries now accept it as a variant.
- concentratesDirects sustained attention
- centersMiddle locations or hubs
- laser focusIntense, undivided concentration
- aimsPurposes or targets
- locks onAcquires and tracks target
sharpens · orients · fine-tunes · targets · directs · pinpoints · homes in · narrows down · refines · calibrates · steers · adjusts · bears down · tracks · pursues · zooms in · dials in · narrows
hones indrifts
Moves without direction
disperses · wanders · diffuses · spreads thin · zones out
hones inbacks away
Moves in reverse deliberately
retreats · pulls back · withdraws · shies away · backs off
hones inflails
Swings limbs chaotically
generalizes · glosses over · skims · fumbles · casts about