"on one's uppers" meaning in English

{
  "etymology_text": "From uppers (“the top part of a leather shoe”), having worn through the sole.",
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "prepositional phrase",
        "head": ""
      },
      "expansion": "on one's uppers",
      "name": "head"
    },
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "on one's uppers",
      "name": "en-prep phrase"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "prep_phrase",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with incorrect language header",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with 1 entry",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with entries",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1902, Guy Wetmore Carryl, How a Cat Was Annoyed and a Poet Was Booted:",
          "text": "“We are bound toward the scuppers,\nAnd the time has come to act,\nOr we’ll both be on our uppers\nFor a fact!”",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "destitute; poor."
      ],
      "id": "en-on_one's_uppers-en-prep_phrase-jjPbUceT",
      "links": [
        [
          "destitute",
          "destitute"
        ]
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "word": "down on one's uppers"
        }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "on one's uppers"
}

{
  "etymology_text": "From uppers (“the top part of a leather shoe”), having worn through the sole.",
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "prepositional phrase",
        "head": ""
      },
      "expansion": "on one's uppers",
      "name": "head"
    },
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "on one's uppers",
      "name": "en-prep phrase"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "prep_phrase",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "English entries with incorrect language header",
        "English lemmas",
        "English multiword terms",
        "English prepositional phrases",
        "English terms with quotations",
        "Pages with 1 entry",
        "Pages with entries",
        "Quotation templates to be cleaned"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1902, Guy Wetmore Carryl, How a Cat Was Annoyed and a Poet Was Booted:",
          "text": "“We are bound toward the scuppers,\nAnd the time has come to act,\nOr we’ll both be on our uppers\nFor a fact!”",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "destitute; poor."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "destitute",
          "destitute"
        ]
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "word": "down on one's uppers"
        }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "on one's uppers"
}