on one's uppers

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on one's uppers

Where it comes from

From uppers (“the top part of a leather shoe”), having worn through the sole.

phrase

destitute; poor. “We are bound toward the scuppers, And the time has come to act, Or we’ll both be on our uppers For a fact!”
Similar: down on one's uppers

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MLA

"on one's uppers." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/on%20one's%20uppers. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

on one's uppers. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/on%20one's%20uppers

Chicago

"on one's uppers." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/on%20one's%20uppers.

BibTeX

@misc{on_one_s_uppers_2026,
  title = {on one's uppers},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/on%20one's%20uppers},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}