At a low point, in a state of decline or depression. For example, The current recession has put our business at a low ebb. This idiom transfers the low point of a tide to a decline in human affairs. [

What is a low ebb tide?

1. The receding or outgoing tide, occurring between the time when the tide is highest and the time when the following tide is lowest. Also called ebb tide, falling tide.

What is a bounder in England?

If you call a man a bounder, you mean he behaves in an unkind, deceitful, or selfish way. [British, old-fashioned]