1
general::
Phrase(s): scrape the bottom of the barrel
to select from among the worst; to choose from what is left over. • You’ve bought a bad-looking car. You really scraped the bottom of the barrel to get that one. • The worker you sent over was the worst I’ve ever seen. Send me another—and don’t scrape the bottom of the barrel.
McGrawhill's American Idioms And Phrasal Verbs