a bag of bones

bag of bones

1. A person or animal that is emaciated to the point that bones can be seen 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
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

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
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs.

a bag of bones

If you describe someone as a bag of bones, you mean that they are extremely thin. Physically, she seemed lighter suddenly — a bag of bones in his arms.
See also: bag, bone, of
Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed.

a bag of bones

an emaciated person or animal. Compare with be skin and bone at skin.
See also: bag, bone, of
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary

a ˌbag of ˈbones

(informal) a very thin person or animal: She refused to eat until eventually she was a bag of bones.
See also: bag, bone, of
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary
See also:
  • bag of bones
  • make no bones about it, to
  • to (one's) bones
  • to your bones
  • rattlebones
  • rattle-bones
  • skin and bones
  • (all) skin and bones
  • nothing but skin and bones and skin and bones
  • nothing but skin and bones
References in periodicals archive
POLICE confirmed last night that a bag of bones that was discovered at a building site belonged to an animal and not a human.
A workman found a bag of bones as he was clearing vegetation on the M5 slip road at junction 14, north of Bristol, on Monday.
A workman found a bag of bones as he was clearing the M5 slip road verge at junction 14, north of Bristol, on Monday.