bottom of barrel
Lowest possible quality
Bottom of barrel describes what remains when better options have been exhausted—the dregs, the last resort.
When you're scraping the bottom of the barrel, you're forced to accept inferior choices because nothing better is available: By the fifth round of the draft, teams are scraping the bottom of the barrel.
The image is of reaching down for whatever sediment remains after the good stuff is gone.
- dregsResidue at bottom
- scrapingRubbing away material
- lowestLeast in position
- worstSuperlative of inferior
- desperateDriven by urgent need
dregs of society · down and out · leftovers · residue · sediment · sludge · end of the line · last resort · final straw · slim pickings · cheapest · gutter · poorest · scum · runoff · remnants · pickings · last pick
- shoddinessslipshod, slapdash, hack job, botch job, botch
- predicamentspredicament, dilemma, bind, pickle, pinch
- ratingsA rating, rating, one star, five stars, rating scale
- Running Lowrunning low, in short supply, running out, dried up, at a premium
bottom of barrelcream of the crop
The very best
top of the line · best of the best · crème de la crème · pick of the litter · top tier
bottom of barrelfirst choice
Most preferred option
first pick · top pick · go-to · front runner · natural selection
bottom, bottoms, bottomed, bottoming, bottomless, barrel, barrels, barreled, barreling