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Synonyms

bottom of the barrel

Idioms  

  1. The least desirable, the dregs, as in The nominating committee had trouble finding candidates; they were settling for the bottom of the barrel. The phrase often occurs in scrape the bottom of the barrel, meaning “to use the least desirable elements” (because one has no choice), as in Bringing up that minor legal point proves that you're scraping the bottom of the barrel. This metaphor for the sediment left by wine in a barrel was already used by Cicero to describe the lowest elements of Roman society. [First half of 1900s]

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Nygren is a value-stock investor, but that does not mean he scrapes the bottom of the barrel for the cheapest stocks.

From MarketWatch • Feb. 5, 2026

The bottom of the barrel has not yet been reached, warned Mr Lodewijks.

From BBC • Aug. 9, 2025

The horror space does not necessarily demand ingenuity; there’s an audience for even the worst drivel at the bottom of the barrel.

From Salon • Feb. 26, 2025

Shopping as a plus-size person is hard enough; add necessity to the equation, and suddenly you’re left buying from the bottom of the barrel.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 6, 2025

My classmates from upstate left for one last long weekend home with their spouses and kids before joining me, down in the bottom of the barrel.

From "Newjack: Guarding Sing Sing" by Ted Conover

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.