like turkeys voting for Christmas

English

WOTD – 24 December 2022

Alternative forms

like turkeys voting for an early Christmas

Etymology

Because turkeys are commonly eaten at Christmas, turkeys voting for (an early) Christmas would be hastening their own death. The phrase is thought to have been coined by the British Liberal Party politician David Penhaligon (1944–1986) who used it to express opposition to the 1977 Lib–Lab pact.^[1] It was popularized by the British Prime Minister James Callaghan (1912–2005) who used it in the House of Commons in March 1979 when his Labour Party lost a vote of no confidence: see the 1977 and 1979 quotations.

Pronunciation

(Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /laɪk ˌtɜːkiz ˈvəʊtɪŋ fə ˈkɹɪsməs/
(General American) IPA^(key): /laɪk ˌtɝkiz ˈvoʊtɪŋ fɚ ˈkɹɪsməs/, [-ɾɪŋ-]
Audio (General Australian): (file)
Rhymes: -ɪsməs
Hyphenation: like turk‧eys vot‧ing for Christ‧mas

Phrase

like turkeys voting for Christmas

(British, simile, humorous, of an action) Self-defeating; serving to bring about a situation detrimental to the performer of the action. [from 1977]
Synonym: like turkeys voting for an early Christmas
- [1977 December 14, Alistair Michie, Simon Hoggart, “The Wispy Beards Strike Back”, in The Pact: The Inside Story of the Lib-Lab Government, 1977–8, London: Quartet Books, published 1978, →ISBN, page 156:
  The next morning [14 December 1977] the Liberals held a two-and-a-half meeting at which Steel let them have their head. Only two MPs, Howells and Johnston, said they were willing to continue the Pact. The opponents were delighted. […] ‘Us voting for the Pact is like a turkey voting for Christmas’, said David Penhaligon]
- [1979 March 28, James Callaghan, Prime Minister, “Her Majesty’s Government (Opposition Motion)”, in House of Commons Debates (House of Commons of the United Kingdom)‎^[1], volume 965, London: Parliament of the United Kingdom, archived from the original on 2022-12-07, column 471:
  The minority parties have walked into a trap. If they win, there will be a general election. I am told that the current joke going around the House is that it is the first time in recorded history that turkeys have been known to vote for an early Christmas.]
- 1998, Philip Allmendinger, Huw Thomas, “Conclusions”, in Philip Allmendinger, Huw Thomas, editors, Urban Planning and the British New Right, London, New York, N.Y.: Routledge, →ISBN, page 247:
  Many of the responses to proposals, particularly regarding deregulation, were unsupported: it would have been like turkeys voting for Christmas in some respects.
- 2001, Trevor Kitching, “The Internet – the New Frontier for Scam Merchants”, in Purchasing Scams and How to Avoid Them, Aldershot, Hampshire, Burlington, Vt.: Gower Publishing, →ISBN, page 90:
  Bear in mind, however, that for some purchasing people, deciding to use an agent is a little like turkeys voting for Christmas.
- 2002, Frances Gardiner, Mary O’Dowd, “The Women’s Movement and Women Politicians in the Republic of Ireland, 1980–2000: Introduction”, in Angela Bourke et al., editors, The Field Day Anthology of Irish Writing, volumes V (Irish Women’s Writing and Traditions), New York, N.Y.: New York University Press, →ISBN, page 233, column 1:
  The anti-divorce rallying cry of Fine Gael’s Alice Glenn, ‘Women voting for divorce is like turkeys voting for Christmas’, captured the sense of fear felt by many at the economic consequences of divorce for women.

Translations

of an action: self-defeating or serving to bring about a situation detrimental to the performer

Finnish: sahata omaa oksaansa (literally “to saw off the branch one is sitting on”) (verb)
French: scier la branche sur laquelle on est assis (fr) (literally “to saw off the branch one is sitting on”) (verb), se tirer une balle dans le pied (fr) (literally “to shoot oneself in the foot”) (verb)
Italian: darsi la zappa sui piedi (literally “to shoot oneself in the foot”) (verb)
Japanese: 肉屋を支持する豚 (nikuya wo shijisuru buta, literally “pigs who support butchers”)
Korean: 크리스마스에 찬성하는 칠면조떼 (keuriseumaseue chanseonghaneun chilmyeonjotte)
Polish: podcinać gałąź, na której się siedzi (pl) (literally “sawing off the branch one is sitting on”)
Russian: пчёлы про́тив мёда (pčóly prótiv mjóda, literally “bees against honey”)
Spanish: estar cavando su propia sepultura, estar cavando su sepultura (literally “to dig one’s own grave”) (verb)

References

^ Ned Sherrin (2008) “Introduction to the First Edition”, in Oxford Dictionary of Humorous Quotations, 4th edition, Oxford, Oxfordshire: Oxford University Press, →ISBN, page xx.