on one's uppers
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Poor, in reduced circumstances, as in as in The Smiths try to hide the fact that they're on their uppers. First recorded in 1886, this metaphoric term alludes to having worn out the soles of one's shoes so badly that only the top portions remain.
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Words nearby on one's uppers
on one's say-so, on one's shoulders, on one's soapbox, on one's tail, on one's toes, on one's uppers, on one's way, on order, on pain of, on paper, on-peak
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.