barrel

*big around as a molasses barrel

Rur. very big around. (*Also: as ~.) He ate till he was as big around as a molasses barrel. The athlete's chest was big around as a molasses barrel.

See also: around, big, molasses

*crooked as a barrel of fish hooks and *crooked as a fish hook; *crooked as a dog's hind leg

very dishonest. (*Also: as ~.) Don't play cards with him. He's as crooked as a barrel of fish hooks. Mary says all politicians are crooked as a dog's hind leg.

See also: fish, hook

*funny as a barrel of monkeys

Cliché very funny. (*Also: as ~.) Ron was as funny as a barrel of monkeys. The entire evening was funny as a barrel of monkeys.

See also: funny, monkey

*over a barrel

Fig. out of one's control; in a dilemma. (*Typically: get someone ~; have someone ~; put someone ~.) He got me over a barrel, and I had to do what he said. Ann will do exactly what I say. I've got her over a barrel.

all oak and iron bound and *sound as a barrel

Rur. in good health; feeling good. (*Also: as ~.) Tom: How are you today? Bill: All oak and iron bound, thank you. Jane made a wonderful recovery from her surgery, and now she's as sound as a barrel.

See also: and, bound, iron, oak

barrel along

to move along rapidly. The car was barreling along at a fairly rapid clip. Don't barrel along so fast that you miss the turn.

See also: along

barrel in (to some place)

Fig. to move into a place rapidly and with great force. Tony barreled into the room and interrupted the card game. He just barreled in without knocking.

barrel of fun

Fig. a tremendous amount of fun. Jill is just a barrel of fun in class. We had a barrel of fun at your party.

See also: fun

barrel out (of some place)

to move rapidly out of a place; to burst out of a place. The kids barreled out of town as fast as they could go. They heard the police siren and quickly barreled out.

See also: out

bottom of the barrel and bottom of the heap

Fig. the location of persons or things of the very lowest quality; someone or something of the lowest quality. (The fruit at the bottom of a barrel of apples is likely to be bruised from the weight of the other apples.) That last secretary you sent me was really the bottom of the barrel. I don't need any candidates from the bottom of the heap.

See also: bottom

like shooting fish in a barrel and as easy as shooting fish in a barrel

Rur. ridiculously easy. Jane's a good mechanic. Changing a tire is like shooting fish in a barrel, for her. That comedian has an easy job. Making fun of politicians is like shooting fish in a barrel.

See also: fish, like, shoot

loaded to the gills and loaded to the barrel

Sl. intoxicated. He's loaded to the gills. Man, he's loaded to the barrel and fighting mad.

See also: gill, loaded

lock, stock, and barrel

Cliché everything. We had to move everything out of the house—lock, stock, and barrel. We lost everything—lock, stock, and barrel—in the fire.

See also: and

more fun than a barrel of monkeys and as much fun as a barrel of monkeys

Cliché a great deal of fun. (Compare this with as funny as a barrel of monkeys.) Roger always makes me laugh! He is as much fun as a barrel of monkeys. The circus was more fun than a barrel of monkeys.

See also: fun, monkey, more

rotten apple spoils the barrel

Prov. A bad person influences everyone he or she comes into contact with, making them bad too. Helen is the rotten apple that spoils the barrel in our office. Everyone sees her come in late to work and take long coffee breaks, and they think, "Why can't I do the same?"

See also: apple, rotten, spoil

scrape the bottom of the barrel

to select from among the worst; to choose from what is left over. You've bought a bad-looking car. You really scraped the bottom of the barrel to get that one. The worker you sent over was the worst I've ever seen. Send me another—and don't scrape the bottom of the barrel.

See also: bottom, scrape

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not be a barrel of laughs  (informal)

to not be enjoyable 'He's a bit serious, isn't he?' 'Yeah, not exactly a barrel of laughs.'

See scrape the barrel

See also: laugh

be more fun than a barrel of monkeys  (American) also be as funny as a barrel of monkeys (American)

to be very funny or enjoyable Their show was one of the funniest I've ever seen - more fun than a barrel of monkeys!

See also: fun, monkey, more

have somebody over a barrel

to put someone in a very difficult situation in which they have no choice about what to do She knows I need the work, so she's got me over a barrel in terms of what she pays me.

See also: have

lock, stock, and barrel

including all or every part of something He's been pressing for the organization to move, lock, stock, and barrel, from Paris to Brussels.

See also: and

pork barrel  (American informal)

the action by a government of spending money in an area in order to make themselves more popular with the people there He was critical of these new, expensive job programs as just a form of pork barrel. (American informal)

See also: pork

scrape the barrel  (informal)

to use something or someone that you do not want to use because nothing or no one else is available (usually in continuous tenses) You know you're really scraping the barrel when you have to ask your old mother to come to the cinema with you.

See also: scrape

with both barrels

if you criticize someone with both barrels, you do it in a forceful and angry way The manager blasted his players with both barrels at half time.

See also: both

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lock, stock, and barrel

taking or including everything The soldiers received orders that they were to move, lock, stock and barrel, some 600 miles west.

See also: and

over a barrel

in a situation in which someone has no choice about what to do The software company has you over a barrel – if you don't accept the license, you can't use the software.

Usage notes: usually used with have, as in the example

Etymology: based on the idea of making someone lie on a barrel (a large, curved container) so they will be unable to move freely

the bottom of the barrel

the worst or least able members of a particular group He described them as the bottom of the barrel of American society. There were only 40 students in the new class, and I think the admissions office was getting to the bottom of the barrel.

Usage notes: sometimes also in the form scrape the bottom of the barrel: I think the awards committee is really scraping the bottom of the barrel if they're giving this award to me.

Opposite of: the cream of the crop

See also: bottom

with both barrels

with as much energy as possible I always get in trouble for not letting you talk, and now I'm getting it with both barrels because I did let you talk.

Etymology: based on the idea of shooting with a gun that has two barrels (tubes from which bullets are shot)

See also: both