Talk:like shooting fish in a barrel
MythBusters episode edit
Though this phrase is usually not thought to be taken literally, the MythBusters' November 21, 2007 episode examined whether the idiom might be based on a kernel of truth. They found that it is possible (though not guaranteed) to directly hit a medium-sized fish with a bullet (I think they hit the fish 50-75% of the time?). Via some other measurements, they surmised that the shockwave through the water in the confined space would definitely be enough to at least stun all remaining fish in the barrel, if not kill them.
They also tried to look into the phrase's origins, but weren't able to turn up anything. They were wondering in particular whether it might have had any relation to the practice of storing fish in brine-filled barrels. Without any indication otherwise, they guessed not, since those fish would normally be already dead. --Interiot 08:05, 4 December 2007 (UTC)