talk turkey

Fig. to talk business; to talk frankly. Okay, Bob, we have business to discuss. Let's talk turkey. John wanted to talk turkey, but Jane just wanted to joke around.

to discuss a problem seriously with the intention of solving it The session was businesslike, and according to one official, a€?They talked turkey.a€?

to discuss a problem in a serious way with a real intention to solve it If the two sides in the dispute are to meet, they must be prepared to talk turkey.

Speak plainly, get to the point, as in Don't call me until you're ready to talk turkey. This expression allegedly comes from a tale about an Indian and a white man who hunted together and divided the game. When the white man said, "I'll take the turkey and you the buzzard, or you take the buzzard and I the turkey," the Indian replied, "Talk turkey to me." Whether or not this tale had a true basis, the term was recorded in its present meaning by about 1840.

To speak frankly about the basic facts of a matter.