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

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

A bit like shooting fish in a barrel, it’s nevertheless remarkably accurate.

From Seattle Times • May 23, 2013

It’s a little like shooting fish in a barrel, picking on college football, but let’s take aim today at awarding hefty guaranteed contracts to average coaches.

From Washington Post • Nov. 26, 2012

“It’s like shooting fish in a barrel this year,” said Steve Elmendorf, a Democratic consultant who supervised the field operation for Senator John Kerry’s 2004 presidential campaign in several battleground states.

From New York Times • Jun. 25, 2012