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.

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.

In a weak or difficult position, as in Once the competitors found a flaw in our product, they had us over a barrel. This slangy expression, first recorded in 1938, supposedly alludes to reviving a drowning victim by placing the body head down over a barrel and rolling it back and forth, so as to empty the lungs of water. The expression survives, although happily the practice does not.

In a very awkward position from which extrication is difficult: During the negotiations the opposing faction had us over a barrel.