いいカモ

い

か

も

Meanings

easy mark; sitting duck; desirable prey

usually written using kana alone

Idiomatic expression literally meaning 'good duck', used for a person who is an easy target for scams, exploitation, or manipulation. Often used in contexts of fraud, seduction, or taking advantage of someone naive.

彼かれは詐さ欺ぎ師しにとってはいいカモだ。
He's an easy mark for con artists.
あの客きゃくはいいカモだから、高たかい商しょう品ひんを売うりつけよう。
That customer is a sitting duck, so let's push the expensive products on him.

See all 5 example sentences ›

Kanji

鴨wild duck, easy mark
好fond, pleasing, like something

Related words

鴨かも
鴨 alone means 'duck' and can also metaphorically mean 'easy target' or 'sucker', but いいカモ is a fixed phrase emphasizing the desirability of the prey.
カモる
カモる is a slang verb meaning 'to swindle' or 'to take advantage of a sucker', derived from the same カモ metaphor.

Written forms

いいカモ
kana-only spelling
Kana plus katakana spelling is the most common written form; this word is usually written in kana.
いい鴨かも
Kanji spelling using 鴨 (wild duck), which directly conveys the 'duck' metaphor for a gullible target.
好いい鴨かも
Rare kanji spelling using 好い for いい; not commonly used.

Etymology

From いい (good) + カモ (duck). The 'duck' metaphor for an easy target comes from the idea that ducks are easy to hunt. The exact origin of the phrase is uncertain, but it is a common colloquialism.