turkey
12
8.6
- noun
- /ˈtɜrki/
- Archaic
- I got a $100 million movie that's tracking like a turkey, and it opens in two weeks.
- a big turkey
Examples
-
With all the good ideas and great new websites, there will be turkeys.
Blog text (7) -
I've produced a lot of turkeys.
-
A turkey that failed and was more work than it was worth, and a lot of indigestion.
Blog text (23) -
They'd better get the casting and direction spot on; otherwise, this is gonna be a turkey that buries their other properties for a long, long time.
Blog text (15) -
To put it plainly, most don't know a quark from a quasar, and they simply can't distinguish the worthy projects from the turkeys.
Academic text (1992) -
The new comedy movie was a total turkey, failing to impress audiences or critics alike.
-
His last album was a turkey, receiving negative reviews and poor sales.
-
After months of anticipation, the play turned out to be a turkey, leaving many in the audience disappointed.
Synonyms
557
1.3
Not reaching what was planned or expected
139
5.6
A complete failure, for example a show or plan that no one likes
102
4.5
A complete failure of an event or plan
76
6.2
A complete embarrassing failure that happens suddenly and causes big problems
75
8.5
A sudden complete failure that causes public embarrassment or big loss
14
4.7
Something that fails to work or please people
A thing such as a film or product that fails badly with people
Antonyms
Idioms
- Informal
1
9.1
Having eaten so much that you feel uncomfortable and want to rest
Compounds
- NSFW
3
8.4
An event or situation where winning is very easy, for example a shooting contest with easy targets
1
2.3
A seasoned mix of bread and herbs used to fill a roast turkey or serve with it
- Australian
A large black bird that builds big nesting mounds in the woods of Australia and New Guinea
A small slow-growing tree with leaves shaped like a turkey's foot that lives on dry sandy soil
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
- US
A tree from the southeastern United States with thin leaves that have pointy tips and deep lobes
- Informal
A feeling of being very sleepy after a large holiday meal, often with turkey
How Unsuccessful
Surface Forms
Etymology
Turkey meaning 'a failure' comes from a long use of the bird as a poor or unwanted prize, so a show or thing that is useless became called a turkey. That's why calling a play or movie a turkey means it did very badly.