skeleton crew
noun phrase

- just enough workers to keep a service or office operating

(Macmillan Dictionary)

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It would be easy to believe that the expression skeleton crew might have something to do with very elderly workers, or that it derives from the idea of a group of hard-working people who toil and labour until they "drop dead." Both of these theories paint vivid pictures.

The real origin is more metaphorical, because it relates to the idea of the skeleton being the basic structure of the body. A skeleton crew then, is the most basic level of staffing, the bare minimum for the business or operation to function; it probably won’t work well or efficiently at that level, but it will keep going.

To extend the metaphor, one could say that a skeleton crew provides a 'bare bones' service.

The term skeleton is from the Modern Latin "sceleton," (bones, bony framework of the body) and from the Greek "skeletos" (dried-up body, mummy). The Latin and Greek roots also led to the French squelette, Spanish esqueleto and Italian scheletro. The meaning "bare outline" was first recorded around 1600, which formed the basis for skeleton crew and skeleton key (a basic, unsophisticated key that can open many different locks).

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Practice OWAD in a conversation:

"We operate with a SKELETON CREW during the summer holidays."