Explanations and expressions with Cold Turkey

cold turkey

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cold turkey

Sl. immediately; without tapering off or cutting down gradually. (Originally drug slang. Now used of breaking any habit.) Tom stopped smoking cold turkey. She gave up her drinking habit cold turkey and had no ill effects.

See also: cold, turkey

McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

cold turkey

mod. [stopping something] suddenly, without tapering off. (Said especially of stopping an addictive drug intake. Originally drugs.) Martha stopped cold turkey and survived.

See also: cold, turkey

McGraw-Hill's Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions Copyright © 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

cold turkey

Immediate, complete withdrawal from something, especially an addictive substance; also, without planning or preparation. For example, My bad shoulder forced me to quit playing tennis cold turkey, or I'd never done any rock climbing, but decided to try it cold turkey. This term may have come from the earlier expression talk turkey (for blunt speaking). At first used strictly for abrupt withdrawal from drugs or alcohol, it soon was transferred to quitting any habit or activity. [Early 1900s]

See also: cold, turkey

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

cold turkey

the unpleasant physical and mental effects someone suffers when they suddenly stop taking drugs The addict himself must make the decision that he wants to go cold turkey