turkey shoot

Noun

turkey shoot (plural turkey shoots)

1. (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
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
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)