on the rack

Idioms  

1. 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.”

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Example Sentences

When more people shopped in physical stores, processing a return was often a matter putting an item back on the rack.

From MarketWatch • Oct. 17, 2025

By the time Mainoo had put away the most glorious finish United were 2-1 up and Liverpool were the ones on the rack and Klopp looked like he was ready to explode on the touchline.

From BBC • Apr. 7, 2024

The other woman buys the first pair on the rack, without even checking if it's her size.

From Salon • Nov. 28, 2023

A fully packed bag with a logo from the 2023 All-Star Game sat in front of his stall where his shoes would normally be, and only a few workout shirts hung on the rack.

From Seattle Times • Sep. 15, 2023

I—the easily rechristened Cal Stephanides, teen runaway—set my suitcase down and hung my jacket on the rack.

From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides