I did not say the name of the bird was a corruption of turnkey. I said the derogatory term was. Anyone who has read about English prisons of the 1600-1700's can easily understand why it became so. Despite popular opinion there is really no connection between the bird (etiology as you described) and the insult (etiology as I described) except that they are spelled and pronounced the same.
graywolf http://www.graywolfphoto.com "Idiot Proof" <==> "Expert Proof" -----------------------------------
Keith Whaley wrote:
Graywolf wrote:
The derogatorily term "turkey" is a corruption of "turnkey" and has to do with prison guards in merry old England and not birds. However your pun was understood.
If I may, that assumption (a corruption of "turnkey") turns out to not be true.
Back in the Greek and Roman days, what was later to be called a Guinea fowl and eventually our "turkey," was called Meleagris.
Some confusion exists because there are several varieties of Guinea fowl, some frrom Africa as well.
The "Guinea fowl" name came from the fact that this genus (Meleagris galloparo) was originally imported to Portugal from New Guinea, which was a Turkish territory back then. Over time, the bird's name became commonly known as a Turkey.
How long the North American turkey was here, and from where it came specifically, I don't know, but the above history is true.
keith
Now why is it can I never seem to remember anything useful?
graywolf
Peter J. Alling wrote:
My strange sense of humor is all. Due to an accident of history this native American Bird is called a Turkey. A term of derision in American English, due to the domesticated variety of turkey's supposed stupidity, is to call someone a "Turkey", Then there is the statement in the true but not necessarily important category "You are what you eat."
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