Then someone called me a jive turkey. Is that the same "jive"? Looking at dictionary.com it's defined as "deceptive, exaggerated, or meaningless talk", "to engage in kidding, teasing, or exaggeration," etc. That works for "jive turkey" but not for what I originally thought "jive" meant.

To complicate matters, jibe is an accepted alternative spelling of the word gibe and vice-versa. In U.S. popular culture, since at least the 1970s, the African-American slang term jive (“You’re jiving me” or “You jive turkey”) has stuck in the minds of many and has likely displaced jibe in usage.

"Talking turkey" The Oneida (N.Y.) Democrat gives the following as the origin of this quaint phrase: "Talking turkey," "as we understand it," means to talk to a man as he wants to be talked to, and the phrase is thus derived. An Indian and a white man went a shooting in partnership and a wild turkey and a crow were all the results of the day's ...

May 22, 2017 · noun: jive; plural noun: jives; noun: jive talk; plural noun: jive talks a lively style of dance popular especially in the 1940s and 1950s, performed to swing music or rock and roll. swing music.

Nov 23, 2021 · Please note that the phrase "shuck and jive" has been used in the past to describe evasive behavior. Having its origin in African-American speech, it might be perceived as racist when culturally misappropriated by white authority figures such as police. See Merriam Webster for further information.

Aug 18, 2024 · From a 2011 book by Alan Axelrod: The Cheaper the Crook, the Gaudier the Patter: Forgotten Hipster Lines, Tough Guy Talk, and Jive Gems. It seems the expression wear the brown helmet is derived from the 1930s "win the porcelain helmet”. [emphasis not mine] Win the porcelain helmet (or hairnet)—Receive something useless or of highly dubious ...

Apr 10, 2023 · Jive use. v.t. To perform music in blues manner. ―Wentworth and Flexner 1968, p. 31: ‘blue’. This dictionary, unlike the OED, connects the usage to lewdness et sim. all the way back to 1900, which is not surprising when comparing to its usage describing e.g. gin from above. And that is where my sources stop my investigation.

Dec 10, 2018 · The OED (note: the OED is behind a paywall, you may need institutional access or a subscription to follow the link) puts the first use of "discombobulate" (as a verb) around 1825.

Most fortuitously for you, just a couple of days ago I stumbled upon a book that answers this and most any question one might have on the word fuck and its multitudinous derivatives — anyone who has the slightest bit curiosity about this subject would do well to check out Jesse Sheidlower's The F-word, a very accessible and fun book.

I'm looking for a similar phrase to: "one man's trash is another man's treasure." Any help would be appreciated.