scraped the bottom of the barrel

A form of scrape the bottom of the barrel — To settle for a poor option due to a lack or unavailability of anything more favorable.

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Meanings

verb
  1. participlepastsimple past and past participle of scrape the bottom of the barrel.
Cite this entry
APA

scraped the bottom of the barrel. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/scraped%20the%20bottom%20of%20the%20barrel

MLA

“scraped the bottom of the barrel.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/scraped%20the%20bottom%20of%20the%20barrel. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “scraped the bottom of the barrel,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/scraped%20the%20bottom%20of%20the%20barrel.

Source: scraped the bottom of the barrel on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.