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turkey

turkey

23 8.5
A person who behaves foolishly or annoys other people
  • noun
  • /ˈtɜrki/
  • Offensive
: tonto
  • Hey, fella, you're a turkey, you know that?

How do you get turkeys to vote for Christmas?

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Examples

  • - Okay you turkeys, dodge ball pro!

  • I left them other jive turkeys way behind.

  • You want me to be the turkey?

  • Dave, you are as full of shit as a Christmas turkey, and you know it.

    Fiction book (1991)
  • Buzz off, turkey.

  • Terry, you turkey.

  • It's a simple concept, but sometimes you jive turkeys need it spelled out for you.

    Blog text (10)
  • Hey, fella, you're a turkey, you know that?

  • Buzz off, turkey.

  • You want me to be the turkey?

Synonyms

dummy
vsturkey
  • Offensive
157 6.0

A person who is seen as stupid or makes simple mistakes

adds an element of annoyance or ineptitude beyond low intelligence
dickhead
vsturkey
  • Offensive
80 9.9

A rude name for a person who is stupid and annoying

is less aggressive and may be used jokingly in some contexts
joker
vsturkey
  • Offensive
23 3.7

A person who behaves foolishly or annoyingly

focuses more on repeated inept or annoying actions rather than one off
SOB
vsturkey
  • Offensive
21 9.9

An insulting name for a person who is rude or mean

is less specific to moral attack and stresses foolish or inept behaviour
gomer
vsturkey
  • Offensive
14 9.9

A person who acts silly or clumsy and makes others laugh

is used more generally for annoying or inept people
tosser
vsturkey
  • Offensive
7 9.9

A rude person who is annoying or stupid

is informal but often less contemptuous and more playful
dumbo
vsturkey
  • Offensive
6 8.7

A person who is not very smart

is harsher and also stresses irritating or clumsy behaviour
numskull
vsturkey
  • Offensive
5 8.9

A person who is very stupid

includes annoying or inept behaviour not only low intellect
Ding Dongs
vsturkey
  • Offensive
5 9.6

A rude name for people who act silly

is harsher and often suggests stronger annoyance or ineptitude
dummkopf
vsturkey
  • Offensive
2 9.9

A rude name for a person who is very silly or not smart

is more colloquial and often more mocking than that label
bobo
vsturkey
  • Offensive
2 9.8

A person who behaves in a silly or foolish way

is stronger and often implies annoying or inept conduct
simple
vsturkey
  • Offensive
1 9.9

A person who is not very intelligent

adds an idea of annoying or inept behaviour as well
dumbhead
vsturkey
  • Offensive
1 9.8

A rude word for a person who is very stupid

is broader and often implies annoying or inept behaviour
dillweed
vsturkey
  • Offensive
1 9.3

A person who behaves in a silly or annoying way

leans more toward blunt annoyance and a stronger insult
galah
vsturkey
  • Offensive
1 9.9

A silly or foolish person used as an Australian insult

is a more general informal insult beyond regional use
hoghead
vsturkey
  • Offensive
1 9.9

An insulting word for a rude or stupid person

is more general and lacks the same crude connotation
tumshie
vsturkey
  • Offensive
9.9

A foolish person who does silly things

is the common informal insult used in wider contexts
shitwit
vsturkey
  • Offensive
9.9

A rude, stupid person who annoys others

is informal but typically milder and more widely tolerated

Antonyms

694 4.9

A person with very strong intelligence or creative skill

165 3.5

Very skilled and knowing a lot about a particular area

Idioms

cold turkey
  • Informal
25 6.7

Suddenly stopping a habit or drug completely without cutting down first

9 8.2

Stop a habit or addiction all at once

to talk turkey
  • Informal
7 7.0

Discuss important matters directly to reach an agreement

1 9.1

Having eaten so much that you feel uncomfortable and want to rest

Compounds

A seasoned mix of bread and herbs used to fill a roast turkey or serve with it

Turkey meat cooked in an oven and served as a main dish

5 1.0

The lower part of a turkey that people cook and eat

4 8.4

An event or situation where winning is very easy, for example a shooting contest with easy targets

jive turkey
  • Offensive
3 9.9

A person who pretends and lies to impress others

3 6.0

A large bird with dark feathers that eats dead animals

3 3.4

A short fun run held around Thanksgiving to raise money for charity

1 9.9

A male turkey

1 2.2

A wing of a turkey that people eat

A country partly in Europe and partly in Asia

The lower part of a turkey's leg that people cook and eat

1 7.8

A large bird with a red bald head that eats dead animals

Turkey red
  • Archaic
1 9.6

A bright orange-red color traditionally used to dye cotton cloth

1 1.0

A thick hot meal of turkey and vegetables cooked together

1 4.6

About as large as a turkey

1 9.9

A male turkey with large colorful tail feathers

turkey coma
  • Informal
1 7.2

A feeling of being very sleepy after a large holiday meal, often with turkey

1 8.1

A tree from the southeastern United States with thin leaves that have pointy tips and deep lobes

1 9.7

A large black water bird with a long neck and pointed beak that swims in swamps

1 7.4

Meat from a female turkey is more tender and tastes milder

1 9.1

A wild turkey that lives in the bush and has tougher meat

A small slow-growing tree with leaves shaped like a turkey's foot that lives on dry sandy soil

brush turkey
  • Australian
9.7

A large black bird that builds big nesting mounds in the woods of Australia and New Guinea

A large tree from Europe that loses its leaves and has long leaves with spiky edges

A wild bird from Central America and northern South America with shiny feathers and round eye spots on its tail

8.4

A large tree from Europe and Asia with long narrow leaves with pointed lobes

turkey trot
  • Archaic
9.5

An early dance to lively ragtime music with quick jerky steps like a bird

How Foolish

moron
  • Slur
441 8.1
idiot
  • Offensive
∞ 1.2
turkey
  • Offensive
23 8.5
fool
  • Offensive
∞ 1.4

Surface Forms

turkey singular
turkeys plural

Etymology

Turkey as slang for 'a foolish person' is easy to remember because people thought the bird was silly or noisy, so calling someone a turkey tells us they are acting foolish or annoying. A helpful way to remember this is to imagine the bird's clumsy walk and loud sounds.