cold turkey
idiom / adverb
Meaning
To stop a habit, especially the use of an addictive substance, suddenly and completely — without tapering off or using substitutes.
Examples
"He quit smoking cold turkey after twenty years — no patches, no gum, nothing."
"Going cold turkey on caffeine gave her a three-day headache, but she's never felt better since."
Origin
The phrase appeared in early 20th-century American English. One popular theory connects it to the cold, clammy, goose-bumped skin of someone going through withdrawal — said to resemble a plucked, refrigerated turkey. Another theory links it to the older idiom talk turkey, meaning to speak plainly: going "cold turkey" is the no-nonsense, no-frills way to quit. Both senses point to the same idea: blunt, sudden, and unsoftened.
Similar Idioms
quit on the spotkick the habitgo cold