turkey shoot

See synonyms for: turkey%20shoot turkey%20shoots on Thesaurus.com

noun

a marksmanship contest, usually at a festive gathering, in which rifles are fired at moving targets, originally live turkeys.
- something easily accomplished; piece of cake.
- an easy destruction of enemy troops, especially of flying aircraft.

Origin of turkey shoot

An Americanism dating back to 1835–45

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

He likens the standoff to what he calls the “turkey-shoot phenomenon.”
Big-Spending Budget Hawk | Benjamin Sarlin | July 29, 2010 | THE DAILY BEAST
Slave boys, in contrast, must have found themselves on the wrong end of a turkey shoot.
St. Paul's Pedophilia Scandal | Sarah Ruden | April 3, 2010 | THE DAILY BEAST
The Hayfield Inn, a little hostelrie on the Northern "pike," is the scene of many a turkey-shoot.
Lippincott's Magazine of Popular Literature and Science Vol. XV., No. 85. January, 1875. | Various
A day of great sport at the tavern was when there was a turkey-shoot; these often took place on Thanksgiving Day.
Stage-coach and Tavern Days | Alice Morse Earle
On the 17th; and I was holding the turkey shoot at the same358 time.
Warren Commission (10 of 26): Hearings Vol. X (of 15) | The President's Commission on the Assassination of President Kennedy

I don't know, because the only reason we was having them sign in was to sign them cards to invite them to the next turkey shoot.
Warren Commission (10 of 26): Hearings Vol. X (of 15) | The President's Commission on the Assassination of President Kennedy
I was over on the opposite end shooting at a target for the turkey shoot and I didn't pay any attention to that.
Warren Commission (10 of 26): Hearings Vol. X (of 15) | The President's Commission on the Assassination of President Kennedy

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