Cold turkey whens to quit something suddenly, without weening yourself off. Throw those cigarettes out the window, fill a trash bag with those sugary treats, and flush those dru-..vitamins down the toilet!
People have attempted to explain the term cold Turkey for years and years and years, yet we have not settled on one theory.
One theory is that the Native Americans and Europeans colonists used to repeat stories of hunting trips, known as “talking cold turkey.” Which meant to speak frankly and plainly – to quit something frankly seemed similar enough so the phrase stuck!
Another theory is that the term is from actual pieces of cold turkey. Cold turkey leftovers take little preparation, as does abruptly quitting something.
And one last theory is that someone was comparing the symptoms of a drug addict in withdrawal to a turkey’s carcass: clammy, pale, covered in goosebumps.
I’ll leave the decision making up to you.
Cold Turkey Podcast 