bare bones

bare bones

pl.n. Informal

The basic elements or essentials: outlined the bare bones of the proposal.

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bare′-bones′ adj.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

bare′ bones′

n.pl.

the most essential facts or components: Reduce this report to its bare bones.

[1910–15]

bare′-bones`, adj.

Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.

Thesaurus

Noun

1.

bare bones - (plural) the most basic facts or elements; "he told us only the bare bones of the story" essence, heart and soul, inwardness, nitty-gritty, pith, substance, gist, kernel, nub, meat, core, sum, marrow, heart, center, centre - the choicest or most essential or most vital part of some idea or experience; "the gist of the prosecutor's argument"; "the heart and soul of the Republican Party"; "the nub of the story" plural, plural form - the form of a word that is used to denote more than one colloquialism - a colloquial expression; characteristic of spoken or written communication that seeks to imitate informal speech

Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.