heypolyglot
Italian

all'osso

expressionB2
Extended vocabulary · Vocabulary rank 61,151

Meaning

to the bare minimum

  • reduced to the simplest, most essential, or minimal level possible

In a sentence

Abbiamo dovuto ridurre i costi all'osso per sopravvivere.

We had to cut costs to the bone to survive.

Il testo è ridotto all'osso per essere chiaro ed essenziale.

The text is cut down to the bare minimum to be clear and essential.

Hanno tagliato le spese all'osso durante la crisi.

They cut expenses to the bone during the crisis.

Usage notes

  • Literally: to the bone.
  • Almost always preceded by verbs like 'ridurre' (to reduce) or 'spolpare' (to strip down).

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