Select the most appropriate meaning of the given idiom.

Scrape the barrel

The correct answer is: To be forced to use one's last and weakest resource.

Key Points

• The idiom "scrape the barrel" means to use one's last and weakest resource.
  • For example- We're only a couple of months into the general election campaign, but political parties are already scraping the barrel for ideas.
• This phrase is often used when someone is in a difficult situation and has exhausted all other options.
• The word "scrape" implies that the resource being used is barely enough to get by.
• Grammatically, "scrape the barrel" is an idiom or phrase that doesn't have a literal meaning but is understood through common usage.

Therefore, the correct answer is option 4.

Additional Information

• "Trying to find something" is a common interpretation of this phrase, but it doesn't capture the sense of desperation that comes with using one's last resource.
• "Hiding something" is not related to the meaning of this idiom.
• "Using all the ways to achieve the desired result" is similar to the correct answer but doesn't convey the sense of weakness in the resource being used.

Hinglish

• The English idiomatic expression "scrape the barrel" corresponds to the Hindi phrase "चरबों से मक्खन निकालना"
• It signifies the act of using the least desirable resources or resorting to desperate means due to a lack of better options.
• For example: "लेखकों की कमी के कारण, प्रकाशकों को चरबों से मक्खन निकालने की स्थिति में हैं।"
• In English: "Due to a lack of authors, the publishers are in a situation of scraping the barrel."
  • It means that because there are not enough authors, the publishers have to resort to using less desirable ones.