idiom · informal
go cold turkey
UK/ɡəʊ kəʊld ˈtɜːki/US/ɡoʊ koʊld ˈtɜrki/go·COLD·TUR·key
speakingtask2
stop a habit or addiction suddenly and completely
Examples
“He decided to go cold turkey and quit smoking overnight.”
“After years of drinking, she went cold turkey and has stayed sober.”
“Some people find it easier to stop gradually, while others prefer to go cold turkey.”
Band 8 sentence
“After trying to cut down for months, he finally went cold turkey and hasn't had a cigarette since.”
Collocations
- go cold turkey on smoking
- go cold turkey from alcohol
Word family
go cold turkey verb phrasestop cold turkey verb phrase (variant)
Common mistakes
He go cold turkey.→He went cold turkey.
He went cold turkey from smokinged.→He went cold turkey from smoking.
Say it for a higher band
5stop→6quit→7+go cold turkey
Synonyms
quit abruptly
Easily confused
give up
“She decided to give up sugar for health reasons.”
Related words
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In Health
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