on the rack

Under great stress, as in I was on the rack while I waited for the test results. This expression, alluding to a medieval instrument of torture to which the victim was fastened and stretched, has been used figuratively since the late 1500s. Shakespeare had it in The Merchant of Venice (3:2): “Let me choose, for as I am I live upon the rack.”

Words Nearby on the rack

on the part of
on the point of
on the prowl
on the Q.T.
on the qui vive
on the rack
on the rebound
on the receiving end
on-the-record
on the right foot, get off
on the right tack

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