IdiomDaily Life
English
Englishover a barrel
Meaning: In a difficult situation or position.
Example: “With the deadline tomorrow, the supplier has us over a barrel.”
Equivalents in other languages
French: La corde au cou Literally: With the rope around the neck
Origin: Probably from the old practice of reviving a person rescued from drowning by laying them face down over a barrel and rolling it to empty their lungs, a helpless position. Another theory points to punishments in which people were bent over a barrel to be flogged. The phrase is American from the late 19th century.
More English idioms
- pay the piper To pay for one's mistakes; to live with the consequences of one's (wrong) actions.
- pencil pusher An office worker; a bureaucrat who routinely does his or her paperwork job without any de…
- penny pincher A person that doesn't like to spend money.
- peter out To disappear gradually.
- pinch pennies To be very careful with one's money; to be concerned about how one spends every penny.
- pink slip Notice that one has been fired from one's job.
Explore another collection: Proverbs
Short sayings of timeless wisdom from more than 50 cultures, each with its meaning and origin.
- Без труда не вынешь и рыбку из пруда (Bez truda ne vynesh' i rybku iz pruda) Nothing comes without effort, not even small things.
- У семи нянек дитя без глазу (U semi nyanek ditya bez glazu) When many people share a responsibility, nobody really takes care of it.
- В гостях хорошо, а дома лучше (V gostyakh khorosho, a doma luchshe) However pleasant a visit or trip, nothing beats home.
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