turkey

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See also: Turkey

English

WOTD – 26 November 2020

Alternative forms

Etymology

A helmeted guineafowl (Natal helmeted guineafowl, Numida meleagris coronatus), once known as a turkey (sense 1), at the Sabi Sand Game Reserve in South Africa.
A male (tom) turkey (sense 2).
A roasted turkey (sense 2) at a restaurant in Singapore. The dish is traditionally served to celebrate Thanksgiving Day and Christmas.
Slices of turkey (sense 3).
A brush turkey or bush turkey (Alectura lathami; sense 4).

Clipping of turkey-cock and turkey-hen (“(originally) the guinea fowl (family Numididae)”), which was imported to Europe by Turkey merchants through Turkey. The word was then applied to the larger northern American bird Meleagris gallopavo which was brought to Spain by conquistadors in 1523. This transfer of the name may have occurred because the two birds were considered similar to each other, or because the North American turkey was in part introduced through Ottoman territories, or simply to indicate that it was foreign.

Pronunciation

Noun

turkey (plural turkeys or (obsolete) turkies)

  1. (countable, originally, now obsolete) The guinea fowl (family Numididae).
  2. (countable) A bird in the genus Meleagris with a fan-shaped tail and wattled neck, especially the wild turkey (Meleagris gallopavo, now domesticated).
  3. (uncountable) The flesh or meat of this bird eaten as food.
    All week after Thanksgiving, I had turkey sandwiches for lunch.
  4. (countable) With a distinguishing word: a bird resembling the Meleagris gallopavo (for example, the brush turkey or bush turkey (Alectura lathami), and the water turkey (Anhinga anhinga)).
  5. (countable, bowling) An act of throwing three strikes in a row.
  6. (countable, medicine, slang, derogatory) A patient feigning symptoms; a person faking illness or injury; a malingerer.
  • (countable, Australia, US, slang, dated) A pack carried by a lumberman; a bindle; also, a large travel bag, a suitcase.
  • (countable, US, slang) A failure.
    Synonym: flop
    That film was a turkey.
    • 1981 August 8, Rob Schmieder, “Starring Bowie and Berlin”, in Gay Community News, page 11:
      And despite the gross incompetence of Hemmings' direction, the ludicrous script, and the heavy-handed acting, there remains a stellar reason to see and enjoy Just a Gigolo: David Bowie. David Bowie is a great actor, and not even this turkey can obscure that fact.
    • 2021 April 7, Christian Wolmar, “Electrification is a given... but comfort matters as well”, in RAIL, number 928, page 46:
      There were a few turkeys. In the rush to present a futuristic vision, the railways' heritage was largely forgotten and we ended up with new stations at Euston and at Coventry, its brash sidekick which I particularly loathe, although (of course) it won design awards.
  • (countable, US, slang, usually mildly derogatory) A foolish or inept person.
    Synonyms: see Thesaurus:idiot
    The turkey cut in front of me and then berated me for running into him.
  • (African-American Vernacular, Baltimore, slang, derogatory) A prostitute. (Can we add an example for this sense?)
    Synonyms: ho, hoe

    • Hyponyms

    Derived terms

    Translations

    patient feigining symptoms — see malingerer
    failure — see failure
    foolish or inept person — see fool

    See also

    • gobble (“to make the sound of a turkey”)

    References

    1. ^ “turkey, n.2”, in OED Online Paid subscription required⁠, Oxford, Oxfordshire: Oxford University Press, 1915; “turkey1, n.”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.

    Further reading

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