turkey shoot
noun1
US A hunt or hunting competition, using rifles or shotguns, in which wild turkeys are the prey; a marksmanship contest in which a turkey is the prize.
- Behind his barricade of barrels, Sam heard and shivered like a gun-shy collie at a turkey shoot.1913, B. M. Bower, chapter 3, in The Uphill Climb:
- [H]e had seen a thirteen-year-old boy named Jim Clanton win a turkey shoot against the best marksmen of the hill country.1919, William MacLeod Raine, chapter 3, in A Man Four-Square:
1 more example
- Debbie Houk said Jordan, a hunter, knew a lot about guns and was a good shot. On Valentine's Day, he beat out many older and more experienced hunters at a turkey shoot. "I'll never cook that turkey. It's the same gun that killed my daughter," she said.2009 February 25, “Boy held in Pa. killing to go to juvenile facility”, in USA Today, retrieved 16 Jul 2012:
2
Broadly, Idiomatic A situation in which numerous weapons are discharged against prey, opponents, or victims who have little ability to protect or defend themselves.
- In the Battle of the Marianas, which pilots called "the turkey shoot," they downed 360 Japanese planes in a single day, the record bag of the war.1960 July 11, “Aviation: The Embattled Farmer”, in Time:
- Almost everyone argued that it would be inhumane for Americans to engage in a turkey shoot against fleeing Iraqi soldiers.1991 April 14, Leslie H. Gelb, “Foreign Affairs: White House Guilt?”, in New York Times, retrieved 16 Jul 2012:
1 more example
- The U-boats, for instance, had a stranglehold on the merchant shipping supplying Britain, and it was thought that a convoy system would turn into a turkey shoot.2009 Nov. 15, Mike Higgins, "Andrew Marr: The Making of Modern Britain, BBC2 (TV review)," The Independent (UK) (retrieved 16 July 2012)
3
Broadly, Idiomatic An unequal competitive situation in which one party easily defeats the other(s).
- The University of Delaware Blue Hens had themselves a turkey shoot here Saturday at Delaware Stadium as they humbled Boston University, 41-13, before 10,350.1968 November 17, Bob Monahan, “Delaware Thrashes B.U. 41-13”, in Boston Globe, retrieved 16 Jul 2012, page 71:
- Their exit from the tournament, without a set between them yesterday, at least demonstrated that the women's game is not quite the turkey shoot it might have seemed.2011 June 28, Chris McGrath, Tennis: ‘Devastated’ Williams sisters rue double loss," The Independent (UK) (retrieved 16 July 2012)
- Related terms
- like shooting fish in a barrel