na-adjective
flat broke; penniless; cleaned out
Colloquial, emphatic expression meaning completely out of money. Often used after losing everything or spending all one's cash.
ギャンブルですってんてんになった。
I went flat broke from gambling.
給料日前はいつもすってんてんだ。
I'm always penniless right before payday.
Standard hiragana spelling for this colloquial expression.
Katakana variant used for emphasis or in informal writing.
The origin is uncertain. It is likely a sound-symbolic (mimetic) word emphasizing total emptiness or loss, similar to other colloquial expressions starting with すっ-.