cold turkey
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cold turkey
Where it comes from
Various explanations; see Cold turkey § Etymology on Wikipedia.
noun
- A sudden and complete withdrawal from a dependent substance, especially a drug.
- The physiological effects of such a withdrawal.
-
Something exposed as a target due to surmountable defense.
Similar: cold meat, easy target, easy pickings
adverb
- Not gradually; all at once; referring especially to quitting a habit by force of will rather than by a gradual reduction. It is difficult, but possible to quit smoking cold turkey.
verb cold turkeys · cold turkeying · cold turkeyed
- To undergo sudden and complete withdrawal from a dependent substance, especially a drug.
Translations
Every language
noun sudden and complete withdrawal
| Español | en seco |
|---|---|
| Deutsch | kalter Entzug |
| Italiano | astinenza completa, astinenza |
noun symptoms of withdrawal
| Português | crise de abstinência |
|---|---|
| Français | manque |
| Italiano | crisi di astinenza |
adv abruptly
| 日本語 | 突然に totsuzenni, 一度に ichidoni |
|---|---|
| Français | brutalement, d'un coup d'un seul, d'un seul coup |
| Deutsch | abrupt |
| Italiano | di colpo, di punto in bianco |
| Русский | ре́зко rézko, внеза́пно vnezápno |
Talk about this word "cold turkey." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/cold%20turkey. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. cold turkey. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/cold%20turkey "cold turkey." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/cold%20turkey.Cite this
@misc{cold_turkey_2026,
title = {cold turkey},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/cold%20turkey},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
