Skeleton Crew

skeleton crew

Welcome to English in a minute!

A skeleton is the frame of bone inside an animal or human.

And a crew is a group of people who work closely together.

Skelton crew

This expression sounds creepy.

Hey, are you going to the sevendust concert tomorrow night?

I wish!

I’m working at the animal shelter tomorrow.

You can’t leave a little early?

No, the shelter is running a skeleton crew.

Only two of us will be there all day.

The term “skeleton crew” means the minimum number of people needed to continue an operation.

A skeleton crew is usually called in during an emergency, or when a business does not expect to have many customers.

And that’s English in a minute!