bare bones

Definition

The essential elements of something; the minimum viable set of elements; especially when they are described without going into detail.

Etymology

By metaphor with the skeleton versus the whole body including the flesh.

Example Sentences

• "He had only been taught the bare bones of the system, but carried on regardless."
• "The bare bones of a cookbook are its recipes, but as a genre it is so elastic and malleable that it can contain a range of other purposes and dimensions."
• "Typically, this meant that the teams were turning around two sets a week, with a train rolling into the depot on a Sunday for what Hinze describes as a "big strip-out". This would pull the carriages back almost to the bare bones."

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