Duck soup

[James A. Landau]

In a message dated 09/01/2002 7:18:21 AM Eastern Daylight Time,
TheEditor at WORLDWIDEWORDS.ORG writes:

> The one suggestion that has come in from a subscriber, Terence Sims,
>  that sounds plausible is that it might be a corruption of "duck
>  shoot". He points out that wildfowling with a wide-bore punt gun can
>  kill a a large number of sitting ducks at one time, so may be
>  considered an easy task.

Off-topic, but isn't "wide-bore punt gun" redundant?  A punt gun is best
described as "artillery"---a gun too big to be fired from one's shoulder, and
which is mounted on a "punt" (a type of boat).  The one example I have seen
(on display in a local restaurant) has a barrel longer than I am tall.  In
order to fire enough buckshot, or whatever, to kill a commercial quantity of
ducks, it must necessarily be large-bore ("wide-bore")

                - Jim Landau