slang A person or animal that is extremely skinny, especially so that their bones are visible through their skin. They gave me this worthless old rattle-bones of a horse to ride. I didn't think it would even make it all the way to Las Cruces.I can't believe you let a skinny little rattle-bones like him beat you in a fight.
rattlebones
n. a nickname for a very skinny person. (Also a term of address.) Hey, rattlebones, come over here a minute.