Women spend almost 400 hours a year shopping, according to a new study. Shopaholics agree: It takes time to hone a craft. From scouring the mall for the perfect pair of jeans to loading up the cart with groceries, women spend an average of 399 hours and 46 minutes shopping a year, a new study finds.
Definition of barrel for Students. 1  1 : a round container often with curved sides that is longer than it is wide and has flat ends. 2  2 : the amount contained in a full barrel a barrel of water. 3  3 : something shaped like a cylinder the barrel of a gun.
To have someone over the barrel means to have someone totally at your mercy. It is a nautical term, which derives from the practice of hanging a drowned, usually unconscious person over a barrel to clear their lungs of water. The fate of the patient was determined solely by the actions of those administering the treatment. In other words, he was at their mercy.