have someone over a barrel
From Wiktionary, the free dictionary
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
- (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
Translations
in a helpless situation
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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.
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