Idiom
On the rocks
On the rocks has two meanings: a relationship or business in serious trouble and likely to fail, or a drink served over ice.
How people use it
In the first sense, people talk about a marriage, friendship, deal or company being "on the rocks": "Their partnership has been on the rocks since the move." It suggests things are close to breaking up. In the second sense, a bartender might ask if you want a drink "straight or on the rocks," meaning with ice cubes. Context almost always makes the meaning clear. Both senses are informal and common in American and British English. The drink sense is mostly used for spirits and cocktails, not soda or juice.
Examples
- After months of arguing, their marriage was on the rocks.
- The little bookstore has been on the rocks since a huge chain store opened across the street.
- He ordered lemonade for the kids and a whiskey on the rocks for himself.
Where it comes from
The trouble sense comes from sailing. A ship that has run onto rocks is stuck and may break apart, so being "on the rocks" came to mean being ruined or out of money, a figurative use found by the 1800s. The drink sense is American and much newer, from around the middle of the 1900s, with ice cubes playfully called "rocks" because of their hard, chunky look.
Check yourself
1. If a friend says her relationship is on the rocks, what does she mean?
Answer: It is in serious trouble. In this sense, on the rocks means close to failing, like a ship stuck on rocks.
2. A server asks, "Would you like that on the rocks?" What is she offering?
Answer: Ice in your drink. When talking about drinks, on the rocks means served over ice cubes.
Word game fan? See every word hiding in ROCKS.