over a barrel
In a disadvantageous or helpless situation, especially one in which one may be…In a disadvantageous or helpless situation, especially one in which one may be controlled or victimized.
» We've got them over a barrel.
CM · Tatoeba · CC BY 2.0 FRMeaning
1 senses(idiomatic)In a disadvantageous or helpless situation, especially one in which one may be controlled or victimized.
заста́ть кого́-ли́бо враспло́хzastátʹ kovó-líbo vrasplóx
Examples
1 sentencesWe've got them over a barrel.
Translations
4 languagesBy meaning 1
Origin
According to The Oxford English Dictionary and The Oxford Dictionary of Idioms, the phraseAccording to The Oxford English Dictionary and The Oxford Dictionary of Idioms, the phrase possibly refers to the act of placing an individual who has been rescued from drowning over a barrel to allow their lungs to clear of water.
Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
Synonyms
3 synonymsSee also
neighbours in the dictionaryDictionary text adapted from Wiktionary (Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0) and Open English WordNet / Princeton WordNet (CC BY 4.0, WordNet License); shared under CC BY-SA 4.0. Example sentences and recordings are credited where they appear.