on one's knees

English

Adjective

on one's knees (not comparable)

  1. Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see on, one, knee.
  2. (idiomatic) On the verge of collapse; at the mercy of someone.
    • 2011 January 22, “Man Utd 5 - 0 Birmingham”, in BBC:
      Hungry Berbatov then converted a Giggs cross for his third before Nani slotted a fifth with Birmingham on their knees.
    • 2023 March 8, David Clough, “The long road that led to Beeching”, in RAIL, number 978, page 38:
      The accepted view is that at the end of hostilities in 1945, the railways were on their knees.

Translations

Further reading

This article is issued from Wiktionary. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.