Newsgroup: it.cultura.linguistica.inglese
Titolo: cold turkey

mi sembra di capire che fare una cosa 'cold turkey' significhi farla di
colpo, a sangue freddo, o sbaglio? e chi conosce l'origine di questa forma
idiomatica?
grazie
isa 

>From: isacchini 
isacc...@chello.at
 
No, non sbagli, ma sfortunatamente non conosco l'origine.
ciao
Arianna

isa
QUOTE
cold turkey
n. Slang 
1.
Immediate, complete withdrawal from something on which one has become
dependent, such as an addictive drug. 
2. Blunt language or procedural
method. 
3. A cold fish. 
UNQUOTE
(Source: 
www.dictionary.com
)
QUOTE
Main Entry: 1 cold turkey
Function: noun
Date: 1921
1 : abrupt complete
cessation of the use of an addictive drug; also : the symptoms experienced
by a person undergoing withdrawal from a drug
2 : unrelieved blunt
language or procedure
3 : a cold aloof person
- cold turkey transitive
verb 
Main Entry: 2 cold turkey
Function: adverb
Date: 1941
: without
a period of gradual adjustment, adaptation, or withdrawal : all at once
<quit smoking cold turkey> 
UNQUOTE
(Source: 
www.webster.com
)
QUOTE
Posted by ESC on January 30, 2000 at 17:56:52:
In Reply to: What's the
origin? posted by Vincent Jackson on January 30, 2000 at 17:47:06:
:
Does anyone actually know the origin of the popular phrase "Stop Cold
Turkey"? I know it is used to mean a sudden and complete stop, as to "Stop
smoking 
cold turkey" or to "Stop eating red meat cold turkey," but I
don't know how and when it was started. Any guesses?
TALKING TURKEY --
"Listening to America" by Stuart Berg Flexner (1982, Simon and Schuster)
has a big section on "turkey" including why turkey is called 
turkey.
“…Our North American bird was erroneously named ‘turkey’ by European
explorers as early as 1587, in confusion with the European turkey cock, a
completely different bird…Other stories, that our word turkey comes from
some Indian word for it, or from the doctor on Columbus’ ship shouting
‘Tukki!’ 
(Hebrew for ‘big bird’) when he first saw one, are not
convincing…” But getting back to your question: "To talk turkey meant to
speak plainly by 1830 (turkey 
gobbling was a distinct, natural sound on
frontier farms) and the expression soon became 'to talk cold turkey'; hence
'cold turkey' came to mean cold facts, 
unpleasant truths. By the 1940s
'cold turkey' was a drug addict's term for a sudden and complete withdrawal
from drugs (reinforced by the addict's goose 
bumps, resembling uncooked
turkey skin)..." 
UNQUOTE
(Source: 
http://www.shu.ac.uk/web-
admin/phrases/bulletin_board/3/messages/65.html)
--
Xakero
--------------------------------
Inviato via 
http://usenet.iol.it
 



Without going to a dictionary, my understanding is going 'cold
turkey' originated from withdrawing from heroin all at once. Thus
suffering any withdrawal symptoms in full force. Naturally the
meaning 'cold turkey' has widened to refer to the style of giving
anything up. 
Is that what 'farla di colpo means'?
Cheers,
Loki
So nice to be discussing language again. :-)
-- 
 

 (Source: 
www.dictionary.com
)
Never heard the expression 'cold turkey' to refer to someone aloof.
Here the term would be "cold fish' itself.. "He's a bit of a cold
fish", which perhaps is British in origin. 
Cheers,
Loki

Forse mangiarlo freddo in fretta senza cucinarlo.
Molto dificile con penne penibili.
Martino


 Is that what 'farla di colpo means'?
I am interested to know as well as you are! It doesn't sound "Italian"
to me. Perhaps it is a local expression?
Bye,
    Nicola

 to me. Perhaps it is a local expression?
Doesn't it mean "to do it suddently?"
Ciao,
Ron
USA



yes, that is what it means. it's a colloquialism: i.e. "smettere di colpo di
fumare", the opposit would be, in my view, "gradualmente"
thanks for your help with the turkey
-- 
isa

 Ron
Amore, che emozione leggere il tuo nome cosě breve eppure cosě lungo, ogni
volta che ti affacci. Perň, quando te ne vai, mi sento proprio come un
tacchino freddo... Ow! Owch! Merda! Che vita!

 excruciating pain he experienced when he quit heroine.
Didn't know he had to but the term was well used long before he got
hooked. Maybe 'cold turkey'  came about as a reference to the chills
and clammy feelings that withdrawal sufferers experienced. Maybe even
from opium days. Chi sa?
Cheers,
loki
 

 dependent, such as an addictive drug.
John Lennon :
Cold Turkeeeeeeey
has got meeee
on the road!
P.