running on empty

lacking energy or enthusiasm He's been running on empty for months now - a vacation will do him good. The program to build low-cost housing has not attracted much support and is running on empty.

Related vocabulary: on automatic pilot

Etymology: based on the literal meaning of running on empty (operating a car with almost no fuel)

running on empty

At the end of one's resources, out of money, as in I don't know how much longer we can live this way-we're running on empty with no jobs in sight . This idiom refers to a car running when the gas gauge indicates it is out of fuel. [Second half of 1900s]

Common Names:

Name	Pronounced	Usage
Jessi	JES-ee	English (Modern)
Sebastiaan	sə-BAHS-tee-ah:n	Dutch
NjÁLa	-	Icelandic
Jeff	[dʒef]
Ash	ASH	English
Idwal	-	Welsh