I've been thinking about and I couldn't find out why they decided to name the concept like this? I understand the m = mechanical, but why turk? Is it an abbreviation?
The name Mechanical Turk comes from "The Turk", a chess-playing automaton of the 18th century, which was made by Wolfgang von Kempelen. It toured Europe beating the likes of Napoleon Bonaparte and Benjamin Franklin. It was later revealed that this 'machine' was not an automaton at all but was in fact a chess master hidden in a special compartment controlling its operations. Likewise, the Mechanical Turk web service allows humans to help the machines of today to perform tasks they aren't yet suited for. From Wikipedia, have read the same thing elsewhere.