shotgun method
v.— «The shotgun method used to be used. The doctor poured a great number of different herbs into a glass on the theory that some of them would do some good.» —“Edwards Was Re-Elected” Lincoln Daily News (Nebraska) June 12, 1916. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
National Book Award winner Barry Lopez had wise advice for young writers. First, read widely and follow your curiosity. Second, travel or learn a foreign language. And third, find out what you truly believe, because if you’re not writing from...
Mary Beth in Greenville, South Carolina, wonders: Why do we say four-oh-nine for the number 409 instead of four-zero-nine or four-aught-nine? What are the rules for saying either zero or oh or aught or ought to indicate that arithmetical symbol...