scraping 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. gerundparticiplepresentpresent participle and gerund of scrape the bottom of the barrel.
Cite this entry
APA

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

MLA

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

Chicago

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

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