mod. on the decline. (See also put the skids under (so/sth) .) : Her health is really on the skids, but she stays cheery anyway.
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition. Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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American Heritage
Idioms & Phrases
on the skids
In the process of decline or ruin, as in If she quit now, her career would be on the skids. The skids here are runners such as those on a sled, enabling one to go downhill quickly. [c. 1920]
