warm body
Anyone who's breathing
A warm body is any person who can fill a position, regardless of skill or suitability—the bare minimum of human presence: We just need warm bodies to staff the event.
The phrase emphasizes quantity over quality, suggesting the role requires little more than showing up alive.
It can sound dismissive of the people so described.
One dwelling within
- attendeePerson present at event
- participantOne who takes part
- spectatorObserver at an event
- audienceGathered viewers collectively
bystander · witness · observer · gathering · assembly · turnout · crowd · showing up
Total of individuals present
- quotaFixed assigned amount
- minimumSmallest possible quantity
- personnelWorkers at an organization
- manpowerAvailable labor force
workforce · recruitment · enrollment · staffing · roster · complement · crew · labor
Temporary substitute person
- stand-inTemporary human placeholder
- stopgapTemporary substitute measure
- tempProvisional worker, briefly
- substituteReplacement for another
pinch-hitter · backup · reserve · understudy · relief · second-string · locum · proxy
Able to be sacrificed
- unimportantLacking significance or weight
- insignificantLacking importance or consequence
- facelessLacking identity or features
- anonymousOf unknown origin
interchangeable · cog · drone · number · nobody · meat · cannon fodder · grunt
occupant
One dwelling within
- attendeePerson present at event
- participantOne who takes part
- spectatorObserver at an event
audience · bystander · witness · observer · gathering · assembly · turnout · crowd · showing up · physical presence
headcount
Total of individuals present
manpower · workforce · recruitment · enrollment · staffing · roster · complement · crew · labor · conscription
fill-in
Temporary substitute person
- stand-inTemporary human placeholder
- stopgapTemporary substitute measure
- tempProvisional worker, briefly
substitute · pinch-hitter · backup · reserve · understudy · relief · second-string · locum · proxy · expendable
expendable
Able to be sacrificed
- unimportantLacking significance or weight
- insignificantLacking importance or consequence
- facelessLacking identity or features
anonymous · interchangeable · cog · drone · number · nobody · meat · cannon fodder · grunt · pawn
- substitutessubstitute, subs, replacement, substitutes, stand-in
warm bodyexpert
Highly skilled practitioner
talent · top performer · specialist · key player · subject matter expert
warm, body, warmer, warmest, warmly, warmth, warmed, warming, warms