Be short of (something) phrase informal
To be on the verge of running out of something.
I am short of money. May I borrow some money?
We're short of salt, so I'll buy some on my way home.
The company is short of manpower. We need to plan to to recruit more staff.
If one goes short of something, he or she doesn't have enough of it.
To begin to decline or deteriorate decline; to get worse very quickly
After his leg's injury, his skiing career hit the skids.