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nautical. the ends of the transverse deck beams of a vessel.
on her beam-ends, nautical. heeled so far on one side that the deck is practically vertical:
the schooner was blown over on her beam-ends.
on one’s / the beam-ends, slang. in desperate straits, especially financial straits.
also, on the beam’s ends.
historical examples

if we head back for the land we may be thrown on our beam-ends, i will say.
the campfire girls on station island margaret penrose

crewe picked him up at monte carlo, when he was on his beam-ends.
jack o’ judgment edgar wallace

the vessel had encountered bad weather; her ballast had shifted, and she lay on her beam-ends about eight miles west of st kilda.
chambers’s journal of popular literature, science, and art, no. 700 various

hove so completely over the beam-ends that the keel is above the water.
the sailor’s word-book william henry smyth

they could see that the wreck was a small vessel on her beam-ends.
the floating light of the goodwin sands r.m. ballantyne

two other vessels had been driven higher on sh-r-, but lay on their beam-ends.
paddy finn w. h. g. kingston

for already the men had planned, if the slightest chance offered, to try and get the masts out while she lay on her beam-ends.
labrador days wilfred thomason grenfell

over went the schooner, till she lay helplessly on her beam-ends.
mark seaworth william h.g. kingston

“knocks you on to your beam-ends,” suggested captain bontnor.
the grey lady henry seton merriman

i sprang on deck, and found that a squall had thrown the vessel on her beam-ends.
hurricane hurry w.h.g. kingston

plural noun
the ends of a vessel’s beams
on her beam-ends, (of a vessel) heeled over through an angle of 90°
on one’s beam-ends

out of resources; dest-tute
desperate