A sudden, complete stop of an addictive behavior without gradual reduction or preparation, often used with 'go' or 'quit.'
American slang from around 1900, likely from the idea that a cold turkey carcass is unpleasant and ungraceful—contrasting with the more 'elegant' approach of gradual reduction; another theory links it to the sudden shock being like jumping into cold water.
Nobody actually knows for certain why we use 'cold turkey' specifically—it might reference a dead, unappealing bird, or the shock of cold water, but the phrase stuck so well that it spread across addiction recovery, dieting, and any abrupt life change!
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