turkey shoot

noun

1. a marksmanship contest, usually at a festive gathering, in which rifles are fired at moving targets, originally live turkeys.

2. 1. something easily accomplished; piece of cake.

   2. an easy destruction of enemy troops, especially of flying aircraft.

Word History and Origins

Origin of turkey shoot¹

An Americanism dating back to 1835–45

Example Sentences

The Great UFO Turkey Shoot of 2023 began with a bang—several, in fact.

From Scientific American

Simon Mayo described it as an "annual turkey shoot", while Graham Norton said it was "not comfortable and not nice".

From BBC

The question is whether United suffer a comedown from their midweek turkey shoot.

From The Guardian

One air battle was so lopsided in favor of the Americans that it was called a turkey shoot.

From Washington Post

“That would have been like a turkey shoot for the average police department.”

From Los Angeles Times