Man had a bone crooked
I believe the answer is:
bent
'crooked' is the definition.
(similar in meaning)
'man had a bone' is the wordplay.
'man' becomes 'ben' ().
'had' means one lot of letters go next to another.
'a bone' becomes 't' (I've seen this in other clues).
'ben'+'t'='BENT'
(Other definitions for bent that I've seen before include "Sharply curved, grass" , "Crooked - tendency" , "Angled or curved" , "Angled; corrupt" , "Slang for dishonest or crooked" .)