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cold turkey
1[kohld tur-kee]
noun
abrupt and complete withdrawal from the use of an addictive substance, as a narcotic drug, alcohol, or tobacco.
cold-turkey
2[kohld-tur-kee]
verb (used with object)
to withdraw from (an addictive substance or a habit) abruptly and completely.
verb (used without object)
to withdraw from an addictive substance or a habit abruptly and completely.
adjective
abrupt and complete.
cold-turkey withdrawal from drugs.
cold turkey
noun
slanga method of curing drug addiction by abrupt withdrawal of all doses
the withdrawal symptoms, esp nausea and shivering, brought on by this method
Word History and Origins
Origin of cold turkey1
Origin of cold turkey2
Idioms and Phrases
go cold turkey,
to stop using an addictive substance abruptly and completely.
to undergo sudden and complete withdrawal from a habitual activity or behavior pattern.
to begin or do something without planning, preparation, or practice.
Example Sentences
Withdrawing “cold turkey” from opioids while pregnant increases the risk of preterm birth, low birth weight, and stillbirth.
Starting with a super cold turkey will result in a longer roasting time.
She started smoking again, nearly a decade after quitting cold turkey.
"We went cold turkey really, but we managed it. We've just got used to living without Russian pipeline gas," explains Dr Jack Sharples, senior research fellow at the Oxford Institute for Energy Studies.
If you’re trying to scale back on social media, maybe limit yourself to 15 minutes a day, instead of going cold turkey.
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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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