Jive Turkey: Insults and Attitude in the ’70s
Summary: A taunt for someone phony, boastful, or uncool—served with swagger.
In this post:
- What “jive turkey” means and where it came from
- How people used it in the 1970s
- Modern equivalents and pop-culture examples
- Related slang to explore next
What does “jive turkey” mean?
“Jive turkey” called out insincerity or foolishness, often in playful ribbing.
How it was used in the 1970s
Sitcoms and soul records used it: “Don’t be a jive turkey, man.”
Modern equivalents
• phony
• poser
• fake