Meaning
Extremely easy because the target or task offers almost no challenge. It can imply that the advantage is excessive or unfair.
Origin
The expression is American. A comparison involving 'shooting fish in a barrel' appears in an 1898 Kansas newspaper, although that example may refer to naval bombardment rather than ease. An unambiguous figurative example meaning very easy is documented in a New Orleans newspaper in 1902. The image is self-explanatory: fish confined in a barrel cannot escape. There is no evidence that a named fairground game or radio personality coined the phrase.
Research Sources
References used to check this entry’s meaning, history, or documented forms.
Variants
- As easy as shooting fish in a barrel
- Shooting fish in a barrel
Usage Examples
- Once the spreadsheet was sorted correctly, finding the duplicate invoices was like shooting fish in a barrel.
- Mocking beginners for simple mistakes is like shooting fish in a barrel.
- The champions overwhelmed the amateur side, but the match soon felt like shooting fish in a barrel.