Street voices
Hugues
·
United States
"Rock bottom. When things have gotten so, so bad that they could not get any worse. Aw man, it's so sad what happened to Rick. Like, he got fired from his job, his wife left him, and took the kids, and now he's got no money, so he's gonna get evicted from his place. Like, talk about hitting rock bottom, yeah?"
What it means
Means the absolute lowest point, when life has gone so sideways you cannot imagine it getting any worse. People use it for money trouble, heartbreak, addiction, failure, or any full blown personal collapse. It often shows up with hit rock bottom, which makes it sound like your life just fell through the floor and found a basement.
Usage examples
"Rick got fired, lost his apartment, and his ex took the kids. Man really hit rock bottom, like life was out here curb stomping him for sport."
"After the third knockback in a week she reckoned she'd hit rock bottom, then the car wouldn't start."
"The team was at rock bottom of the table by November, no wins and a manager already sweating."
Where it comes from
The phrase digs straight down to the mining image: rock bottom is the solid rock you hit at the very base of a shaft, the point past which the pick will not go. Hit rock bottom and there is no deeper to fall, just hard stone under your boots and the long climb back up.
Editors of this term
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