# skin and bones



## Encolpius

In English,  if someone is very thin, it is said he/she is only *skin and bones*, do you use the similar expression in your language? 

*Hungarian*: csont és bőr (the funny thing is we changed the order of the words, i.e: "*bone and skin*")
*German*: Haut und Knochen (skin & bones)

Thanks.


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## bibax

Czech: *Je kost a kůže.* = S/he is bone and skin.

Another common saying:

*Je jak za groš kudla.* = S/he is like a one penny knife (a knife that costs one penny/groschen).


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## ThomasK

Dutch: vel over been (skin over bone) [It might be Flemish]


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## anipo

In Hebrew: עור ועצמות - 'or ve'atzamot - meaning skin and bones. Probably a translation from an European language.


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## DearPrudence

In *French*:

*"(n')avoir (que) la peau sur les os" *(literally: _to have (only) skin on your bones_)
colloquial, very pejorative: *"être un sac d'os" *(literally: _to be a bag of bones_)


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## apmoy70

Hi Encolpius,

in Greek:

 1A) «Σκελεθρωμένος, -νη, -νο» [sceleθro'menos sceleθro'meni sceleθro'meno] (masc. fem. neut.) a reloan from the Italian _scheletro_ < Byz. adj. «σκελεφρός» skele'phros --> _dry, parched, lean, _ultimately from the Classical verb «σκέλλομαι» 'skĕllŏmae --> _to be parched, dried up, withered_ from PIE root *(s)kele-, _to parch, whither_ (cognate with Gr. σκελετός > Lat. sceletus, Eng. skeleton, Fr. squelette, Ger. skelett, It. scheletro, Sp. esqueleto)
1B) «Σκελετωμένος, -νη, -νο» [sceleto'menos sceleto'meni sceleto'meno] (masc. fem. neut.), from «σκελετός» (see above) 
2) «Κοκκαλιάρης, -ρα, -ρικο» [koka'ʎaris koka'ʎara koka'ʎariko] (masc. fem. neut.), a colloquialism, from the colloquial name of the bone, «κόκκαλο» ['kokalo] (neut.), from the Classical masc. noun «κόκκαλος» 'kŏkkalŏs --> _kernel of fruit, fruit stone_ with obscure etymology.
All are used interchangeably and are equally common


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## Rallino

In* Turkish:*
_
Bir deri bir kemik_ =_ One skin one bone_


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## rusita preciosa

Russian:
*кожа да кости */ kozha da kosti/ - skin and bones (this expresstion uses an outdated word for "and").


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## merquiades

In Spanish you can say "Está en los huesos" (literally: is in the bones) or like French "es un saco de huesos" (is a sack of bones).  The skin part is lacking


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## Encolpius

Ad apmoy: so you don't use the literal translation, do you? 
Ad Slavic languages: I have expected all Slavic languages might use the Czech-Hungarian word order, I doubt there is any connection between the Czech and Hungarian coincidence.


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## bibax

IMHO the explanation of the Czech word order is quite simple. The expression "k*o*st a k*ů*že" consists of two trochees (-.-. like "Peter, Peter" or "pumpkin-eater", for instance). "K*ů*že _ a k*o*st" would not sound rhythmical and it also contains one hiatus.


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## apmoy70

Encolpius said:


> Ad apmoy: so you don't use the literal translation, do you?


No, I 'm afraid we don't. The most common expression (besides the ones I've previously posted) is simply «σκελετός» [scele'tos] meaning "you're so thin you've become skinny as a skeleton"


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## mataripis

Yes it is " Buto't balat  siya" . or " Mukhang kalansay (skeleton) siya"


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## darush

Hi Encolpius,
پوست و استخوان /pusto ostokhaan/ (skin and bone)


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## Perseas

apmoy70 said:


> No, I 'm afraid we don't. The most common expression (besides the ones I've previously posted) is simply «σκελετός» [scele'tos] meaning "you're so thin you've become skinny as a skeleton"



Hi, 
I think I ' ve heard "πετσί και κόκαλο" (= skin and bones).


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## OneStroke

In Chinese:

皮包骨頭/皮包骨头 pí bāo gǔtou [lit. bones wrapped by skin]


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## sound shift

In British English: "He's/She's all skin and bone" (not "bones").


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## 涼宮

merquiades said:


> In Spanish you can say "*Está en los huesos*" (literally: is in the bones) or like French "es un saco de huesos" (is a sack of bones).  The skin part is lacking



You have to specify that that Spanish is European, many Latinos don't say exactly that. 

Costal de huesos, saco de huesos, palito, esqueleto, vara 'e puyá loco (vaya de puyar loco) (it also means very high person) (Vzla.), ser piel y huesos, garza (vzla.), alambre (vzla.). I'm sure there are more.


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## chitanegra

In simple terms........FLACA. or FLACO for a man. Ok? In mexican spanish.


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## arielipi

Also in hebrew:
שק עצמות sac atzamot - sack (of) bones[=bones sack]
שלד sheled - skeleton, though dead, not raised one


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## 涼宮

chitanegra said:


> In simple terms........FLACA. or FLACO for a man. Ok? In mexican spanish.



But we're not looking for terms to refer to just a thin person but a VERY thin person, and to my knowledge flaco/a just means thin person, not very thin. Unless in Mexico it means very thin.


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## Outsider

In Portuguese: _pele e ossos_, literally the same.


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## Youngfun

And in Italian: _pelle e ossa_, literally the same.


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## إسكندراني

Arabic: meat on bones - La7m 3ala 3aDm - (لحم على عضم).


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## Encolpius

إسكندراني said:


> Arabic: meat on bones - La7m 3ala 3aDm - (لحم على عضم).



Hello and welcome to the forum. When you write Arabic, do you mean Egyptian Arabic?


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## jana.bo99

Skin and bone

Slovenian:
Koža in kosti

Croatian:
Koža i kosti

German:
Haut und Knochen


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## chitanegra

Güilo  for man.   Güila for woman.   This is another good one.  Bye!


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## Grefsen

Encolpius said:


> In English,  if someone is very thin, it is said he/she is only *skin and bones*, do you use the similar expression in your language?


In American English, it's perfectly acceptable to use the expression "only skin and bones," but it's more common to use the expression "all skin and bones" when referring to someone who is very underweight.

In Norwegian, the expression that's used for someone who is extremely thin is *"bare skinn og bein,"* which literally translates as "only skin and bones" in English.


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## Pretty_Gaella

mataripis said:


> Yes it is " Buto't balat siya" . or " Mukhang kalansay (skeleton) siya"



Filipino:
Yes mataripis is correct We used "*buto't balat"* referring a person who is very skinny/thin. 
It literally means in English* bone and skin.* 
Sometimes we also say *patpatin *or* payatot*, from the word *patpat *which means _stick _in English.


Smile Everyone


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## Panceltic

Slovenian: *Sama kost in koža ga je.* Translation: [There] is only bone and skin [of] him. "Ga" is in genitive case. For a woman, it would be: *Sama kost in koža je je.*


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## إسكندراني

Encolpius said:


> Hello and welcome to the forum. When you write Arabic, do you mean Egyptian Arabic?


Yes, that was Egyptian Arabic.


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