[General] bare as a bone

[vil]

Dear teachers,

Would you share with me your opinion concerning the interpretation of the expressions in bold in the following sentence?

[FONT=&quot]She’d cleaned us special – on the chance. Not that she’s got anything to clean. Everything’s popped. It’s as bare as a bone at Terry’s. (Gr. Green, “The Confidential Agent”)[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]..there’s nowhere to hide on this island. It’s as bare as your hand. (A. Christie, “And Then There Were None”)[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]bare as a bone = bare as the palm of one’s hand = bare as the back of one’s hand = bare to the skin, desert[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]Thank you for your efforts.. [/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]Regards,[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]V.[/FONT]

 

[Tdol]

Where did you get the expressions from- they're not standard idioms I have come across. The idea's clear, but we say to know something like the back of your hand, and I have not come across your versions.

 

[vil]

ADJECTIVE:DIVESTED &c. v.; bare, naked, nude; undressed, undraped, unclad, ungarmented, unclothed, unappareled, unarrayed; exposed; in dishabille.
IN A STATE OF NATURE, in nature’s garb, in buff, in native buff, in birthday suit; in puris naturalibus [L.]; with nothing on, stark-naked; bare as the back of one’s hand.
out at elbows; threadbare, ragged, callow, roofless; barefoot; bareback, barebacked; leafless, napless, hairless.
BALD, hairless, depilous [rare], glabrous, glabrate, tonsured, beardless, bald as a coot.
EXUVIAL, sloughy, desquamative, desquamatory.

[FONT=&quot]http://www.bartleby.com/110/226.html[/FONT]

 

[Coolfootluke]

[FONT=&quot]http://www.bartleby.com/110/226.html[/FONT]

I am not a teacher.

Note the date of the Roget's at Bartleby, vil---1922. Some of the expressions in there will not be in current use. I am not saying that "bare as the back of one's hand" is one of them, but I am not familiar with it.