on the rocks
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
"Stony broke," having no money; a phrase from seafaring; a ship that is on the rocks will very quickly go to pieces un- less she can be got off.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Examples
The boys were climbing about on the rocks.Bọn con trai đang leo lên khắp các tảng đá.
That company is on the rocks because of bad debts.Công ti đang gặp khó khăn do nợ xấu.
Tatoeba sentence #1547688 (CC BY 2.0 FR, tatoeba.org, retrieved 2026-07-31)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “on the rocks” mean?
"Stony broke," having no money; a phrase from seafaring; a ship that is on the rocks will very quickly go to pieces un- less she can be got off.
Is “on the rocks” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.