over a barrel

English

Etymology

According 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.^[1]^[2]

Pronunciation

Audio (General Australian): (file)

Prepositional phrase

over a barrel

(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
Polish: w garści
Russian: заста́ть кого́-ли́бо враспло́х (zastátʹ kovó-líbo vrasplóx)
Spanish: contra la pared

References

^ Ayto, John, editor (18 August 2020), “barrel”, in The Oxford Dictionary of Idioms, 4th edition, Oxford University Press, →DOI, →ISBN
^ John A. Simpson and Edmund S. C. Weiner, editors (1989), “barrel, noun.”, in The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd edition, Oxford: Clarendon Press, →ISBN, page 969, column 1.

“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.

[1] Ayto, John, editor (18 August 2020), “barrel”, in The Oxford Dictionary of Idioms, 4th edition, Oxford University Press, →DOI, →ISBN

[2] John A. Simpson and Edmund S. C. Weiner, editors (1989), “barrel, noun.”, in The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd edition, Oxford: Clarendon Press, →ISBN, page 969, column 1.

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