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The bird we today call a turkey is native to America. Yet, how did it become associated with the country of Turkey?
The answer is that the American wildfowl is not the only bird called a turkey. That, since 1552, is also a name for the guinea-fowl. That bird, native to Africa, was brought to Europe via Turkey. When Europeans arrived in America, they noticed similarities between the guinea-fowl and the American bird and called the latter turkey. So, the name is from the country although the bird is in no way associated with it.
Theatrical use of turkey to mean a flop dates to 1927. General disparaging use dates to 1951. Exactly why the word was first used to refer disparagingly to a person is uncertain, but it is probably because of the bird's fabled low intelligence.
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