Have you ever wondered why ....

... people say "Let's talk turkey" when they want to get down to
serious business?

The expression "talk turkey" is believed to have been explained in a report issued by the U.S. Engineers
Department in 1848, which included the following account:

Today I heard an anecdote that accounts for one of our common sayings. It is related that a white man and an
Indian went hunting, and afterwards, when they came to divide the spoils, the white man said, "You may take
the buzzard and I will take the turkey, or I will take the turkey and you will take the buzzard." The Indian
replied, "You never once said turkey to me."

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