Se retrouver une main devant, une main derrière

Literally: To be left one hand in front, one hand behind

Example: “Après la faillite de son restaurant, il s'est retrouvé une main devant, une main derrière.” — After his restaurant went bankrupt, he was left without a penny to his name.

English equivalent: Without a penny to one's name

Origin: From the 1960s, and specifically a man's picture. Someone destitute enough to have no clothes at all is left standing naked, and the reflex in a society where public nudity is not the norm is to cover up with both hands — which for a man means one in front and one behind. The arithmetic is the joke: a woman in the same position would put both hands in front, so the expression only counts out the way it does for half the population.