bare-bones

bare bones

1. noun The essential and most elementary parts of something; a general outline or summary. Please don't go through each line item in the budget—just give me the bare bones. We're having a pop quiz in English class today? Oh man, OK, tell me the bare bones of the plot. Here are the bare bones, just what is essential to know going into this conference.

2. adjective Having only the minimum of what is required. Hyphenated if used before a noun. The apartment is pretty bare bones, but rent is cheap, and I don't spend much time there, so I don't mind. We were given a pretty bare-bones budget to make this app, so it isn't very fancy or anything. Here is a bare-bones list of what is essential to know going into this conference.

See also: bare, bone

Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.

bare-bones

Cliché limited; stripped down; lacking refinements or extras. This one is the bare-bones model. It has no accessories at all.

McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.