Let’s talk turkey… On second thought, let’s not.

Readers enjoy a good pun. And copywriters enjoy using them, sometimes to a fault (he said, looking down sheepishly).

Now, successful punnery requires a critical attribute: The word or phrase must have both a literal and a non-literal meaning, both of which must be relevant and instantly recognizable to the reader. For example, a news headline that describes the latest U.S. Navy budget as being in “ship shape” works nicely, because both sides of the pun are readily evident — the literal (ship/Navy) and the non-literal (the non-maritime usage meaning “organized and presentable.”)

But what happens when a pun loses its non-literal usage — that is, when a phrase is no longer part of everyday lexicon? What if, for example, nobody ever used the term “ship shape” anymore? That phrase would then be reduced to its literal meaning. Losing its dual edge, it would no longer be a pun.

Which brings me, albeit in rather circuitous fashion, to “talking turkey.” Once upon a time, the non-literal meaning of this phrase — i.e. forthright, honest discourse — was a part of everyday language. But over the years, this usage has diminished, and these days, nobody ever utters the phrase when they’re not talking about turkeys. As a result, “talking turkey” long ago lost its punworthiness.

And yet, this time every year, writers trot it out for Thanksgiving feature stories. And every year, on the fourth Friday of November, it goes back into cold storage, not to be seen or heard for another twelve months.

There are other pun opportunities for Thanksgiving-related communications. “Gobble,” for example, is an everyday word and used year-round. So is “stuffed.” And “fowl.” But “talking turkey”? Its days are done. So let’s quit using it. Cold turkey.

Happy Thanksgiving, folks.

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