talk turkey
verb- An Erie car loaded with live turkeys . . . was delivered to the New-York and New-England Railroad yesterday. . . . This first cargo is symbolical of the fact that they will be able hereafter to "talk turkey" to all competitors for New-England business.1881 December 13, “The Erie to ‘Talk Turkey’”, in New York Times, retrieved 21 Oct 2008, page 8:
- I'm here to talk turkey. What's your price?1918, Peter B. Kyne, chapter 19, in The Valley of the Giants:
2 more examples
- This will mean talking turkey about the timing of steps for each side to take, and verification measures.2005 July 13, “Opinion: Korean advance”, in International Herald Tribune, retrieved 21 Oct 2008:
- Is this a good time to talk turkey? I just need to go over some quick business.2025 October 31, Trey Parker, “The Woman in the Hat”, in South Park, season 28, episode 2, spoken by Kyle Schwartz:
- Synonyms
- get to the point