# rickle o' banes

idiom

Source: https://englishreference.com/idiom/rickle-o-banes
Updated: 2026-08-10

## Meaning

An emaciated person or animal.

## Examples

- That poor stray dog is just a rickle o' banes.
- After months of illness, the once strong man looked like a mere rickle o' banes.
- The famine had reduced the villagers to a pitiable state, leaving each one a shivering rickle o' banes struggling to survive the winter.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.