In the English language, idioms vividly capture various human experiences, including weakness. These phrases offer a creative and culturally rich way to express vulnerability or limitation. This blog post explores 20 idioms specifically tailored to describe weakness, providing a brief meaning and a succinct example for each.
Idioms That Describe Weakness
1. At the end of one’s rope
Meaning: Completely exhausted or desperate.
Example: “By midnight, he was at the end of his rope.”
2. Not have a leg to stand on
Meaning: Lacking support or justification.
Example: “Without evidence, she doesn’t have a leg to stand on.”
3. Achilles’ heel
Meaning: A critical weakness in spite of overall strength.
Example: “Math was always his Achilles’ heel.”
4. Under the weather
Meaning: Feeling ill or unwell.
Example: “I’m skipping the party; feel under the weather.”
5. Throw in the towel
Meaning: To give up in defeat.
Example: “Exhausted, he threw in the towel.”
6. Running on empty
Meaning: Continuing despite lacking energy or resources.
Example: “She’s just running on empty now.”
7. Weak at the knees
Meaning: To feel very emotional or nervous.
Example: “His speech left us weak at the knees.”
8. Fold like a deck of cards
Meaning: To collapse or fail easily under pressure.
Example: “He folded like a deck of cards.”
9. Hit the wall
Meaning: To reach a point of complete physical or emotional exhaustion.
Example: “At mile 20, he hit the wall.”
10. Bend over backwards
Meaning: To try very hard to please someone.
Example: “She bends over backwards to please her boss.”
11. Go to pieces
Meaning: To become very upset.
Example: “She went to pieces after the news.”
12. Hang by a thread
Meaning: To be in a precarious or unstable state.
Example: “His sanity was hanging by a thread.”
13. On its last legs
Meaning: Close to failure or ruin.
Example: “The fridge is on its last legs.”
14. Lose steam
Meaning: To start strong then lose momentum.
Example: “The campaign started well but is losing steam.”
15. Out of gas
Meaning: Drained of energy or motivation.
Example: “By evening, I’m totally out of gas.”
16. Fall at the first hurdle
Meaning: To fail at the very beginning of a process.
Example: “He fell at the first hurdle.”
17. Not up to scratch
Meaning: Not meeting the required standard.
Example: “His work isn’t up to scratch.”
18. Have butterflies in one’s stomach
Meaning: To feel nervous or anxious.
Example: “She always has butterflies before a test.”
19. Crack under pressure
Meaning: To fail or collapse under intense strain.
Example: “He cracked under pressure during exams.”
20. As weak as a kitten
Meaning: Extremely weak or feeble.
Example: “After the flu, he’s as weak as a kitten.”
