273: cold-turkey Sep 7, 2015

For phrases, it is often harder to hunt down the origins than it is for simple, single words. That is why there are a few theories about whence 'cold turkey' derives. One theory is that cold turkey is a food does not requires much effort to prepare, so "to quit like cold turkey" is to do so suddenly and lacking preparation. This would be similar to the phrase 'cold shoulder', as it originally was 'cold shoulder of mutton', which is something that poor people–people to whom one may have given the cold shoulder–ate. Another theory is that it evolved from the older (19th century) classic American saying “to talk turkey,” most likely from actual cold turkey, a simple, uncomplicated meal. To then "quit cold turkey" would be to quit in a direct and uncomplicated way.