over a barrel

English

1912 illustration of an inmate being punished in an American prison

Etymology

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Pronunciation

• Audio (General Australian):

  (file)

Prepositional phrase

over a barrel

1. (idiomatic) In a disadvantageous or helpless situation, especially one in which one may be controlled or victimized.
   • 1947 September 1, “Happy Day”, in Time:

     Ford had the U.A.W. over a barrel; if it failed to sign by midnight, the U.A.W. would be forced to give up its union shop.

   • 2018 September 1, “AP sources: Lawyer was told Russia had 'Trump over a barrel'”, in AP News:

     Bruce Ohr revealed that "an unnamed former Russian intelligence official had communicated that Russian intelligence believed 'they had Trump over a barrel', a "sentiment [that] is echoed in Steele's dossier".

Synonyms

• up a tree, up the creek
• See also have someone by the short hairs § Synonyms

Translations

in a helpless situation

• Dutch: hopeloos (nl), in de knel
• Italian: spalle al muro
• Russian: заста́ть кого́-ли́бо враспло́х (zastátʹ kovó-líbo vrasplóx)
• Spanish: contra la pared

References

• “over a barrel”, in Dictionary.com Unabridged, Dictionary.com, LLC, 1995–present.
• “over a barrel”, in Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster, 1996–present.