Running On E

We say a car RUNS ON gasoline. Or an electric car RUNS ON electricity. So something RUNS ON the source of it’s energy. 

I’m running on empty is a reference to a gas tank in a car. When my gas gauge reads Empty, I can say I’m running on empty: there’s no more gas. Because the gauge has a little “E” on it for empty, we also say, I'm running on E. You might also hear: I’m running on fumes (Fumes are like invisible clouds of gas that come from things like cars or cooking). 

These same expressions that we use about cars, we also use to talk about our energy level. When you are really exhausted, you can say, I’m running on empty, I'm running on E, or I’m running on fumes

I’m running on 4 hours of sleep and a pot of coffee. Remember that what we are running on is the source of our energy. So, it means: All my energy is coming from 4 hours of sleep and a pot of coffee. It’s a way to say you are sleep-deprived.  

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