Literal translation
he is naked and raw
Meaning
he has absolutely nothing
Explanation
This expression describes a person left with absolutely nothing, reduced to a state of complete destitution. The two words that make it up are well attested: the first means naked, bereft, and the second, raw, describes what is unprepared, unworked, in its natural state, like a raw foodstuff or unbleached, undyed cloth. Combining the two creates a reinforcing effect through both sound and meaning, each word intensifying the other to depict total poverty, with not the slightest possession or resource, as though a body were stripped bare and left without protection or adornment. The expression follows a common pattern in folk sayings, which like to pair one adjective with another close in sound or meaning to intensify an idea. It is used to describe, bluntly and without detour, a ruined person, stripped of all material goods, often after a reversal of fortune, a bankruptcy, or a long-standing destitution. The register is blunt and direct, much like the word itself.