lose one's shirt

Meaning: To lose all one's money.

Example: “He lost his shirt betting on the race.”

Origin: The shirt stands for the last thing a person owns, as in "give the shirt off one's back." The phrase is American from the early 20th century, often about gambling and the stock market.

Equivalents in other languages

Italian: Rimanere in mutande Literally: To be left in your underwear

More English idioms

have a bee in one's bonnet To be obsessed with one idea.
put down roots To settle somewhere permanently.
start off on the wrong foot To begin something badly.
take one's breath away To astonish someone with beauty or surprise.
go away empty-handed To get nothing at all.
hit rock bottom To reach the lowest possible point.

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Equivalents in other languages

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