词汇 | on the rocks |
词源 | on the rocks. The allusion here is to a ship grounded off a rocky coast, battered by waves and ready to sink, and the ex- pression arose among seamen, as would be expected. The figu- rative use of rocks for a symbol of destruction or ruin dates back to at least the early 16th century, but it wasn’t until 300 years later (1889) that the phrase on the rocks appeared or is first recorded. When we use the expression today we always re- fer to ruin or impending disaster. Someone on the rocks can be stone broke, or bereft of sanity. A marriage on the rocks is wrecked and about to be sunk unless it is saved at the last min- ute. On the rocks is also a drinking term, meaning a drink served with ice in the glass, the expression dating back to the 1920s. |
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