something reduced to its minimal form; the battalion was a mere skeleton of its former self; the bare skeleton of a novel'

a scandal that is kept secret; there must be a skeleton somewhere in that familys closet

[ Syn: skeleton in the closet , skeleton in the cupboard ]

the hard structure (bones and cartilages) that provides a frame for the body of an animal

[ Syn: skeletal system , frame , systema skeletale ]

the internal supporting structure that gives an artifact its shape; the building has a steel skeleton

[ Syn: skeletal frame , frame , underframe ]