When someone’s “blue,” we might say in English that they’re “down in the dumps.” The Hebrew equivalent comes yet a third English metaphor, “on the boards” – על הקרשים

(where קרשים

is the plural form of קרש

– board).

For example:

אתמול בלילה הוא הפסיד אלף דולר בקזינו, ועכשיו הוא על הקרשים.

Last night he lost a thousand dollars at the casino, and now he’s down in the dumps.

על הקרשים

usually describes a situation where the person has tried something and not succeeded.