skeletons

1. something reduced to its minimal formExamples: "the battalion was a mere skeleton of its former self"; "the bare skeleton of a novel"Synonyms: skeleton

2. a scandal that is kept secretExamples: "there must be a skeleton somewhere in that family's closet"Synonyms: skeleton, skeleton in the closet, skeleton in the cupboard

3. the hard structure (bones and cartilages) that provides a frame for the body of an animalSynonyms: frame, skeletal system, skeleton, systema skeletale

4. the internal supporting structure that gives an artifact its shapeExamples: "the building has a steel skeleton"Synonyms: frame, skeletal frame, skeleton, underframe