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bag of bones

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bag of bones

1. A person or animal that is emaciated to the point where one can see bones protruding from the skin. The old, abandoned dog looked like a bag of bones after living on the streets for so long. Poor Dave, he looked like a bag of bones when he was done with his cancer treatment.

2. A disparaging term for a very old person, especially one who has a frail appearance. That old bag of bones shook her fist at me for walking on her lawn again!

See also: bag, bone, of

bag of bones

an extremely skinny person or animal with bones showing. (The skin is the figurative bag.) I've lost so much weight that I'm just turning into a bag of bones. Get that old bag of bones off the racetrack!

See also: bag, bone, of