noun pl. turkeys -·keys or turkey -·key

1. ☆
   1. any of a family (Meleagrididae) of large, gallinaceous North American birds with a small, naked head and spreading tail, including a wild or domesticated species (Meleagris gallopavo) bred as poultry and a wild species (Agriocharis ocellata) of Central America, with eyespots on the tail
   2. the flesh of a turkey
2. ☆ Slang a failure: said esp. of a theatrical production
3. ☆ Slang an inept, stupid, or unpleasant person
4. ☆ Bowling three strikes in a row

Etymology: earlier Turkey-cock, term orig. applied to the guinea fowl, sometimes imported through Turkey and for a time identified with the Am fowl