barrel

a barrel of laughs a source of fun or amusement. informal

2012Bookslut The poems aren't Pound at his luminous best, nor even mid-quality Pound. In fact, they're Pound at his monomaniacal worst: not exactly a barrel of laughs (especially dismal because that's how Pound intended these poems).

get someone over a barrel get someone in a helpless position; have someone at your mercy. informal

☞ This phrase perhaps refers to the condition of a person who has been rescued from drowning and is placed over a barrel to clear their lungs of water.

lock, stock, and barrel: seelock.

scrape the barrel: seescrape.

with both barrels with unrestrained force or emotion. informal

☞ The barrels in question are the two barrels of a firearm.