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Mar 28, 2024 · The phrase ‘cold turkey’ refers to the action of stopping a habit suddenly and completely. Originally, it was used to talk about the harsh way of dealing with drug withdrawal. Nowadays, people use it more broadly.
Jan 14, 2022 · What does “cold turkey” mean? To “quit cold turkey” or “go cold turkey” means to stop doing something completely (or to try to, at least). The most common example you’ll likely hear...
Jul 4, 2024 · The phrase cold turkey means to suddenly stop a habit that is harmful, such as smoking or drinking alcohol, without slowly easing off it. It’s often used when someone quits an addiction all at once rather than gradually reducing the habit.
The term ‘cold turkey’ is now predominantly used as the name of the drug withdrawal process. Also, by extension, it is used to refer to any abrupt termination of something we are accustomed to. To find the origin of the term we need to delve into the annals of American speech.
- What Does Cold Turkey Mean?
- Is It Go Cold Turkey Or Quit Cold Turkey?
- Origin of Cold Turkey
- What’s Another Word For Cold Turkey?
- Cold Turkey Examples in A Sentence
- In The End
Cold turkey is probably one of the most common idioms, and it describes the sudden and complete termination of a bad habitor addiction. These can be things like nicotine, alcohol, drugs, junk food, bad behavior and more. The phrase is really popular with the concept of quitting smoking cigarettes. Most smokers can’t gradually quit; they’d rather gi...
Both go cold turkey and quit cold turkey are considered correct and widely used in the English language. But quit cold turkey was first used in the early 1800s, with go cold turkey appearing later that century. Now, go cold turkeyis the more common of the two.
So, even though Google Ngrams shows the use of quit cold turkeyin the early 1800s, the actual origin of the phrase wasn’t recorded until the earlier 1900s when law officials used it to describe how drug addicts would behave when having withdrawals. Their skin would scour with goosebumps, like a plucked turkey. But there’s also the fact that cold tu...
AbruptlySuddenlyImmediatelyInstantaneouslyAfter years of smoking cigarettes, I quit cold turkey for my husband and never looked back.I tried to go cold turkey off caffeine but then suffered from complete withdrawal symptoms.Our family doctor advised my husband not to go cold turkey when stopping his old meds in place of his new meds.When it comes to horribly unhealthy habits, sometimes it’s just best to go cold turkey.That’s yet another idiom guide added to my list! I hope my breakdown of the phrase helped you understand it better. Basically, anything cold turkeymeans giving up or stopping something abruptly, usually a bad habit of some kind. Now, pardon me, I’m going to go make a cold turkey sandwich! Be sure to have a look at my other idiom guides to find othe...
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Regardless of its ultimate origins, the phrase manages to vividly capture the initial dread and discomfort that comes from immediately quitting something that's addictive, from drugs to dating apps. Explaining A Common Phrase That Makes No Sense.
Oct 4, 2024 · Key Takeaways. “Cold turkey” means stopping a habit or addiction abruptly and completely, without gradually reducing or using aids to help. It is often used in the context of quitting drugs, smoking, or other addictive behaviors and can be challenging due to withdrawal symptoms or sudden change. Cold Turkey Meaning – Created by 7ESL.