"on one's knees" meaning in English

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      "expansion": "on one's knees (not comparable)",
      "name": "en-adj"
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  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "adj",
  "senses": [
    {
      "glosses": [
        "Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see on, one, knee."
      ],
      "id": "en-on_one's_knees-en-adj-G8Q3Qrn8",
      "links": [
        [
          "on",
          "on#English"
        ],
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          "one",
          "one#English"
        ],
        [
          "knee",
          "knee#English"
        ]
      ],
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        "not-comparable"
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      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "2011 January 22, “Man Utd 5 - 0 Birmingham”, in BBC:",
          "text": "Hungry Berbatov then converted a Giggs cross for his third before Nani slotted a fifth with Birmingham on their knees.",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2023 March 8, David Clough, “The long road that led to Beeching”, in RAIL, number 978, page 38:",
          "text": "The accepted view is that at the end of hostilities in 1945, the railways were on their knees.",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "On the verge of collapse; at the mercy of someone."
      ],
      "id": "en-on_one's_knees-en-adj-AWZ16lqY",
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(idiomatic) On the verge of collapse; at the mercy of someone."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "idiomatic",
        "not-comparable"
      ],
      "translations": [
        {
          "_dis1": "1 99",
          "code": "fi",
          "lang": "Finnish",
          "sense": "At the mercy of someone",
          "word": "polvillaan"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "1 99",
          "code": "fr",
          "lang": "French",
          "sense": "At the mercy of someone",
          "word": "à genoux"
        }
      ]
    }
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  "sounds": [
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  "word": "on one's knees"
}

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  "head_templates": [
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      "expansion": "on one's knees (not comparable)",
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  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "adj",
  "senses": [
    {
      "glosses": [
        "Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see on, one, knee."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "on",
          "on#English"
        ],
        [
          "one",
          "one#English"
        ],
        [
          "knee",
          "knee#English"
        ]
      ],
      "tags": [
        "not-comparable"
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      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "2011 January 22, “Man Utd 5 - 0 Birmingham”, in BBC:",
          "text": "Hungry Berbatov then converted a Giggs cross for his third before Nani slotted a fifth with Birmingham on their knees.",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2023 March 8, David Clough, “The long road that led to Beeching”, in RAIL, number 978, page 38:",
          "text": "The accepted view is that at the end of hostilities in 1945, the railways were on their knees.",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "On the verge of collapse; at the mercy of someone."
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(idiomatic) On the verge of collapse; at the mercy of someone."
      ],
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        "idiomatic",
        "not-comparable"
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  "translations": [
    {
      "code": "fi",
      "lang": "Finnish",
      "sense": "At the mercy of someone",
      "word": "polvillaan"
    },
    {
      "code": "fr",
      "lang": "French",
      "sense": "At the mercy of someone",
      "word": "à genoux"
    }
  ],
  "word": "on one's knees"
}