The Ministry of Higher and secondary education of the Republic of Uzbekistan State World Languages University

PUBLIC HOUSE

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  to have someone over a barrel – to have a person in one’s power, so that he can be forced to do whatever is asked of him. ‘The boss has got you over a barrel. If you don’t withdraw your accusations, be will take you to court, and if you do withdraw, you will lose the respect of the staff.’
  
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  to scrape the bottom of the barrel – to content oneself with poor quality when all other possibilities have been exhausted. ‘Dorothy must have scraped the bottom of the barrel to have married a man like that!’
  

MARKET

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  a captive market – a monopoly of an essential product or service which the consumer is obliged to accept without exercising his normal freedom of choice. ‘We can ask any price we like for our water supply; we have a captive market.’
  
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  to be a drug on the market – to find no customers, something for which there is no demand. ‘Gramophone records have become a drug on the market since cassettes were introduced.’
  
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  to be in the market for – to be interested in obtaining or buying something. ‘We are not in the market for diamonds at present.’
  
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  to play the market – to speculate in the buying and selling of stocks and shares or commodities. ‘Herbert calls it playing the market; I call it gambling.’
  
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  to put something on the market – to offer something for sale. ‘We have decided to leave London, so we are putting our house on the market.’ / to come on the market – to be offered for sale.
  
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  to corner the market – to obtain a monopoly of the supply of particular goods or services. ‘Once a government has cornered the market, as for instance in gas or electricity, there is always a huge rise in prices.’
  
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  a rising/falling market – a rising/falling demand for goods or services which will be reflected in their prices.
  
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