This article discusses the problem of the water flask with several unequal holes in the bottom by considering it as a nonlinear work problem which can, nevertheless, be solved by elementary considerations. It is described as a suitable fluid-mechanics experiment for elementary courses, and it is then solved analytically—first without the calculus and then with the help of the calculus. It is the solution without the calculus which is of particular interest for non physics majors, because of its comparative simplicity and lack of cumbersome equations.