Meaning of Idiom ‘Like Shooting Fish in a Barrel’
When something is like shooting fish in a barrel, it is extremely easy to do; ridiculously easy; almost impossible to fail at; opposition that is easy to defeat.
See the similar idiom like taking candy from a baby.
Usage Notes
In English, fish in a barrel can be used alone to describe someone that is easy to defeat, take advantage of, win over, entertain, etc.
Sentence Examples
“Chris Rock’s special, playing the victim while pretending not to be a victim, was like shooting fish in a barrel. The audience was prepared to laugh at whatever he said.”
“These things sale themselves, said Barkly. “It’s like shooting fish in a barrel.”
“I don’t think they are going to like my routine,” said the comedian. “Don’t worry, it’s like shooting fish in a barrel once they are already drunk,” said the club manager.
“Sure, we had overwhelming numbers and superior firepower, but it wasn’t exactly like shooting fish in a barrel.”
“This is going to be like shooting fish in a barrel. We’ve already beat them twice.”
“When the deer population gets too heavy, it becomes like shooting fish in a barrel. Culling the population is necessary, but it seems cruel and unfair to many people.”
“We felt like fish in a barrel, out in the open like that.”
Origin
Used at least since the 1930s, this idiom alludes to how much easier it would be to shoot fish crowded into a barrel than to shoot them in open water. Since people don’t normally shoot fish, it is not clear why they came to be used in this idiom . It appears in print in 1931, in Gene Fowler’s Great Mouthpiece: “It’s like shooting fish in a barrel,” It was probably already a well-known saying by then. 1Ammer, Christine. The Dictionary of Cliches: a Word Lover’s Guide to 4,000 Overused Phrases and Almost-Pleasing Platitudes. Skyhorse Publishing, 2014.
