like shooting fish in a barrel

Idioms  

1. Ridiculously easy, as in Setting up a computer nowadays is like shooting fish in a barrel. This hyperbolic expression alludes to the fact that fish make an easy target inside a barrel (as opposed to swimming freely in the sea). [Early 1900s]

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Example Sentences

It’s not quite like shooting fish in a barrel, but for some anglers and hunters, new technology that makes their targets easier to find, track, catch or kill is a troubling step in that direction.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 5, 2026

Finding a revolutionary artist during cocktail hour at the opening gala of Los Angeles County Museum of Art’s new David Geffen Galleries was like shooting fish in a barrel.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 17, 2026

Floyd has to be able to catch enough birds to sustain his dietary needs, Moore says, and suspects that catching them is like shooting fish in a barrel given the thousands of birds there.

From BBC • Jan. 30, 2026

The rest of the first period was like shooting fish in a barrel.

From Seattle Times • Jan. 14, 2023

Reviewing a pretentious little movie can be like shooting fish in a barrel.

From New York Times • May 14, 2015