More than a million hunters "talk turkey" every spring, but most have
no idea how the expression originated.
Karlen Evins will tell you — along with explaining the origin of lots
of other common terms and expressions, in her soon to be re-released
book, I Didn't Know That. The book is being re-issued by Simon &
Schuster and is available at most Nashville bookstores.
It's fun and informative, with something for everyone who uses words.
Gobbler gab
Take "taking turkey" for example. According to Karen's research a
white frontiersman and a Native American hunting partner were dividing
their kill at the end of the day. The white hunter kept two wild
turkeys and gave his partner three crows. The Native American demanded
a do-over, and said to forget the crows — this time they would
strictly "talk turkey."
Son of a gun: When women accompanied their husbands at sea,
pregnancies would follow. It was common to give birth amid the guns of
a ship.
Pig in a poke: "Poke" is another term for a bag or sack. Unscrupulous
market owners sometime sold a customer a cat in a bag which was
supposed to contain a young pig. When the buyer got home and opened
his poke he would discover he had himself a cat instead of a pig.
Lesson learned, he never bought another pig in a poke.
Cats, ants, bushes
Bringing home the bacon: One version is that in Old England couples
who swore they hadn't fought in a year were rewarded with a side of
bacon. Another is that the expression started at county fairs when
catching greased pigs was a main attraction. If you caught a pig you
got to keep it — bringing home the bacon.
There's also such popular expressions as "letting the cat out of the
bag," "ants in the pants" and "beating around the bush." It's easy to
see why they could be of interest to hunters and fishermen.
Outdoorsmen should go for it hook, line and sinker, as well as lock,
stock and barrel.
