Shooting Fish in a Barrel

Volume 2. Issue 1. (It’s a new year, we’re moving on)

What was said? Come on guys… this is like shooting fish in a barrel.

Did someone really say that? Yes… in my virtual book club at work, the moderator said that when no one volunteered to give their opinion / answer to his question. (Also, an avid subscriber sent me the link to the YouTube video below).

What does it mean? It means that it’s a really simple action with guaranteed success.

Origin: Prior to the modern days of refrigeration, fish were packed and stored in large barrels. The barrels were packed to the rim full of fish. As such, any shot the entered the barrel would be guaranteed to hit at least one of them. This being the case, nothing would be easier than shooting fish in a barrel.

There are some skeptics out there, so this became a feature on Discovery’s MythBusters Season 5 (article below)… where they proved that “shooting fish in a barrel is a whole lot easier than finding the original source of that adage.”

Read more: http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Where_did_the_phrase_like_shooting_fish_in_a_barrel_originate_What_does_it_mean#ixzz1ktGvHjwu

Sources:

Check out this video:

http://dsc.discovery.com/fansites/mythbusters/db/animals/shooting-killing-fish-barrel.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shooting_fish_in_a_barrel

REFERRALS:  Do you LOVE Rema’s Idiom Email and look forward to it all the time? If so, refer your friends!

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