Englishgo broke
Meaning: To run out of money completely; to become penniless.
Example: “The little print shop went broke after the big chain opened nearby.”
Origin: "Broke," for penniless, is an old figurative use of "broken" — someone whose financial situation has genuinely collapsed rather than merely weakened — documented since the late 1500s. "Go broke" itself, as the plain, literal phrase for losing all one's money, is dated to the mid-1600s, well predating the flashier, gambling-derived "go for broke" that developed independently three centuries later. The image works the same way "broken" does elsewhere: total, structural failure rather than a temporary or partial setback.
More English idioms
- go for broke To risk everything.
- go haywire To malfunction; to break down.
- go off half-cocked To do or say something in haste or without adequate planning or preparation.
- go off the deep end To become deeply involved with someone or something before one is ready; to go crazy.
- go over with a bang To be extremely successful.
- go over like a lead balloon To be completely unsuccessful, contrary to expectations; to fail.
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