skeleton crew
skeleton crew · skeleton crews
A crew consisting of the minimum number of personnel needed to maintain and operate…A crew consisting of the minimum number of personnel needed to maintain and operate the basic functions of something, such as a business, a factory, or a ship.
UK/ˌskɛlɪtn ˈkɹuː/US/ˌskɛlətən ˈkɹu/
Meaning
1 senses(idiomatic)A crew consisting of the minimum number of personnel needed to maintain and operate the basic functions of something, such as a business, a factory, or a ship.
Translations
1 languagesOrigin
From skeleton (“(military) small number of soldiers in a regiment far short of its full stFrom skeleton (“(military) small number of soldiers in a regiment far short of its full strength; (especially attributive) bare essentials, minimum”) + crew, metaphorically referring to a crew being bare bones rather than adequately fleshed out.
Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
Forms
plural: skeleton crews| Singular | skeleton crew |
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| Plural | skeleton crews |
regular