at one mercy

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noun, plural mer·cies for 4, 5.

compassionate or kindly forbearance shown toward an offender, an enemy, or other person in one's power; compassion, pity, or benevolence: Have mercy on the poor sinner.

the disposition to be compassionate or forbearing: an adversary wholly without mercy.

the discretionary power of a judge to pardon someone or to mitigate punishment, especially to send to prison rather than invoke the death penalty.

an act of kindness, compassion, or favor: She has performed countless small mercies for her friends and neighbors.

something that gives evidence of divine favor; blessing: It was just a mercy we had our seat belts on when it happened.

Idioms

at the mercy of, entirely in the power of; subject to: They were at the mercy of their captors. Also, at one's mercy.

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At one mercy is always a great word to know.

So is interrobang. Does it mean:

a printed punctuation mark (‽), available only in some typefaces, designed to combine the question mark (?) and the exclamation point (!), indicating a mixture of query and interjection, as after a rhetorical question.

an extraordinary or unusual thing, person, or event; an exceptional example or instance.

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Origin:
1125–75; Middle English merci < Old French, earlier mercit < Latin mercēd- (stem of mercēs) wages (Late Latin, Medieval Latin: heavenly reward), derivative of merx goods

Synonyms
1. forgiveness, indulgence, clemency, leniency, lenity, tenderness, mildness.

Antonyms
1. cruelty.

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Collins

World English Dictionary

mercy (ˈmɜːsɪ)

—n , pl -cies
1.	compassionate treatment of or attitude towards an offender, adversary, etc, who is in one's power or care; clemency; pity
2.	the power to show mercy: to throw oneself on someone's mercy
3.	a relieving or welcome occurrence or state of affairs: his death was a mercy after weeks of pain
4.	at the mercy of in the power of

[C12: from Old French, from Latin mercēs wages, recompense, price, from merx goods]

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline

Word Origin & History

mercy

late 12c., "God's forgiveness of his creatures' offenses," from O.Fr. mercit, merci "reward, gift, kindness," from L. mercedem (nom. merces) "reward, wages, hire" (in V.L. "favor, pity"), from merx (gen. mercis) "wares, merchandise." In Church L. (6c.) applied to the heavenly reward of those who show

kindness to the helpless. Meaning "disposition to forgive or show compassion" is attested from early 13c. As an interjection, attested from mid-13c. In French largely superseded by miséricorde except as a word of thanks. Seat of mercy "golden covering of the Ark of the Covenant" (1530) is Tyndale's loan-translation of Luther's gnadenstuhl, an inexact rendering of Heb. kapporeth, lit. "propitiatory."

Easton

Bible Dictionary

Mercy definition

compassion for the miserable. Its object is misery. By the atoning sacrifice of Christ a way is open for the exercise of mercy towards the sons of men, in harmony with the demands of truth and righteousness (Gen. 19:19; Ex. 20:6; 34:6, 7; Ps. 85:10; 86:15, 16). In Christ mercy and truth meet together. Mercy is also a Christian grace (Matt. 5:7; 18:33-35).

Easton's 1897 Bible Dictionary
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at one mercy

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Mercy definition