💃 A ragtime dance 🏃 A fun run

turkey trot

3.4

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

noun
/ˈtɜrki trɑt/

: carrera de acción de gracias

Many families participate in the local turkey trot every Thanksgiving to raise money for charity.

Examples

I was supposed to run a turkey trot tomorrow, but I pulled my back on Wednesday.

Blog text (32)
The annual turkey trot draws crowds of runners eager to enjoy the festive atmosphere.
So the Turkey Trot is like a run?
She was excited to join the turkey trot with her friends on Thanksgiving morning.

Synonyms

fun run

vsturkey trot

4 2.1

A short race people run for fun or to raise money for charity

is usually a short road race held at Thanksgiving for charity

funrun

vsturkey trot

4.1

A short race for fun that often raises money for charity

is commonly tied to the Thanksgiving holiday and is usually short

Surface Forms

turkey trot singular

turkey trots plural

Morphology

turkey + trot

The pieces 'turkey' (a bird strongly associated with Thanksgiving) and 'trot' (a short run) give a clear hint that the phrase refers to a running event, but the specific convention of a Thanksgiving fun run/charity race is culturally specific and not fully predictable from the words alone. A B1 learner who knows both words might guess it involves running and turkeys, but they would likely miss the conventionalised event meaning without cultural exposure.

Etymology

Turkey trot began as a short run on Thanksgiving morning, because it is the day of the turkey and the word trot means a quick run. So today the phrase means a fun, short race often held around Thanksgiving.