Talk turkey
Suggest a CorrectionMeaning
Speak frankly and directly, especially when discussing practical terms, serious business, or a negotiation.
Origin
This is an American expression with a more complicated history than the usual hunting story suggests. Archival examples collected by Word Histories show forms of talk turkey from 1792 and several uses in the 1830s, when its senses included saying what somebody wanted to hear, boasting, and speaking plainly. A comic tale about a white hunter unfairly dividing a turkey and another bird with an Indigenous hunting companion was being offered as an explanation by 1837. Because the expression was already in use and its early senses varied, that tale cannot securely be treated as the event that coined it. The modern sense of frank, practical discussion became the lasting one.
Research Sources
Usage Examples
- We have compared the headline prices; now let us talk turkey about fees and delivery dates.
- The landlord finally agreed to talk turkey and discuss a realistic rent reduction.
- If the board wants this project finished by October, it needs to talk turkey about staffing.