on the rocks

Idioms  

1. Ruined, spoiled, as in Six months after the wedding, their marriage was on the rocks . This expression, alluding to a ship running aground on rocks and breaking apart, has been used figuratively for other disasters since the late 1800s.

2. Served over ice only, as in He always drinks whiskey on the rocks . The “rocks” here are the ice cubes. [Mid-1900s]

3. Destitute, bankrupt, as in Can I borrow next month's rent? I'm on the rocks . This usage, from the late 1800s, is heard more often in Britain than America.

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Example Sentences

Now, the AI startup’s relationship with the Pentagon is on the rocks.

From The Wall Street Journal

It’s unclear exactly when that “next chapter” began, as rumors that the relationship was on the rocks have been circulating for more than a year.

From Los Angeles Times

That mixture can then be blended or shaken and served on the rocks.

From Salon

I lunge forward, scraping my paws and back on the rocks, and snap my jowls at his hairless tail.

From Literature

JD and Usha Vance can’t escape rumors that their marriage is on the rocks.

From Salon

Related Words

• bankrupt
• exhausted
• impoverished
• indigent
• insolvent
• needy
• penniless
• poor
• poverty-stricken
• strapped