Expressions used in Everyday Spoken English in Social and Professional contexts
'The bones of something' can refer to the essence or core of something. The bones of a business or a project can refer to the basic design or foundation of something upon which other decisions are made. The bones in a body make up the skeleton or the scaffolding on which everything else relies on in order to exist, move and thrive. 'The bones of a business' therefore are the fundamentals on which everything else depends.