It has survived by cutting its costs to the bone.

把成本降到最低，它才撑了过来。

《柯林斯英汉双解大词典》

That means tracking expenses and cutting spending to the bone.

那就意味着，追踪每笔开销，最大程度的削减支出。

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The village elder who directed the cutting said that the last time they caught a shark as big as this was three years ago, and they had to use an axe to cut through the bone and separate the head.

那位指挥切割的老渔民告诉我，还是在三年前，他们也曾捕到这样大的鲨鱼，不得不用斧子砍断鱼骨，把鱼骨、鱼头砍下来。

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"If you survived to the third or fourth round of layoffs, the company was probably cutting to the bone, " says Tim Honn, president of Fortis Recruiting Solutions in Lisle, Ill.

WSJ: Turn a Firing or Layoff Into a Learning Experience

There is more to this than simply cutting costs to the bone.

ECONOMIST: The charms of frugal innovation

And making them light enough for racing means cutting safety margins to the bone.

ECONOMIST: Tech.view: Boost for Formula One | The