on the rocks

Slang Dictionary

on the rocks definition


  1. mod.
    (of an alcoholic drink) with ice cubes. (See also rocks.) : I'd like mine on the rocks, please.
  2. mod.
    in a state of ruin or bankruptcy. (Like a ship that has gone aground on the rocks and cannot be moved.) : That bank is on the rocks. Don't put your money in it.
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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Slang Dictionary

rock definition


  1. n.
    and rock candy. crack, a crystallized form of cocaine. (Drugs. See also rocks.) : Some call it rock candy, and some call it crack.
  2. n.
    a crystallized form of heroin used for smoking. (Drugs.) : Max is hooked on rock—the kind that you smoke. , Powder is everywhere, but you can hardly find rock anymore.
  3. n.
    a diamond or other gemstone. : Look at the size of that rock in her ring.

  4. Go to rocks. :
  5. n.
    a baseball; a basketball. : Michael passed the rock to Scottie, who turned and dropped it in the basket.
  6. in.
    to be really great. : The concerts didn't rock, but we had a good time throwing chairs.
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
Cite This Source
American Heritage
Idioms & Phrases

on the rocks

  1. Ruined, spoiled, as in Six months after the wedding, their marriage was on the rocks. This expression, alluding to a ship running aground on rocks and breaking apart, has been used figuratively for other disasters since the late 1800s.

  2. Served over ice only, as in He always drinks whiskey on the rocks. The "rocks" here are the ice cubes. [Mid-1900s]

  3. Destitute, bankrupt, as in Can I borrow next month's rent? I'm on the rocks. This usage, from the late 1800s, is heard more often in Britain than America.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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