have somebody over a barrel

Từ điển tiếng Anh - Cambridge Advanced Learners Dictionary

have sb over a barrel idiom informal
to put someone in a very difficult situation in which they have no choice about what they do
• She knows I need the work so she's got me over a barrel in terms of what she pays me.
Thesaurus⁺: ↑Difficult situations and unpleasant experiences ↑Accidents and disasters
Main entry: barrel_idiom