What It Means: expression for speaking plainly
Where I Heard It: I actually haven't heard this term before. I just happened to come across it in my Why We Say It book and thought it was appropriate for the day! But here's an example of how Aaron might use it: "Let's talk turkey and make a deal on the purchase of this deep freezer."
Why We Say It: Half a dozen anecdotes seek to explain this expression for speaking plainly. Most of them recount a conversation between an American Indian and one or more white settlers. Discussing the division of game bagged in a joint hunt, the native insists that his comrades talk turkey and hand over to him the biggest bird shot during the day.
These entertaining frontier stories bypass a skill that was long familiar--and important--to veteran woodsmen.
Many a fellow reared in the woods became an expert turkey caller. That is, he so skillfully imitated sounds made by the big wild birds that some who heard at a distance came within gun range. It was this bona fide turkey talk, not banter at the end of a day's hunt, that spawned our American expression for speaking in a clear and forthright manner.
P.S. If you watched Rachael Ray today you also saw two ladies from the Butterball Turkey-Talk Line who have been giving tips on cooking turkeys for more than twenty years!
P.P.S. I do not make it a habit of watching Rachael Ray, or DVRing her show(s). I just happened to start my Turkey Holiday early and was sitting on the couch at 3pm waiting for Oprah to come on at 4pm, so I had to fill the hour somehow.
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