|
Let's talk turkey. Since "cold turkey" is normally used in the context of quitting an unhealthy habit, such as smoking, we had a hunch its origins had something to do with addiction. Sure enough, a quick Yahoo! search on "cold turkey" + "origin" led us to an entry on IdiomSite. Here, we learned that the phrase describes the skin's reaction to heroin withdrawal. As an addict stops using the drug, blood is drawn toward the internal organs, thereby leaving the skin to resemble a cold, plucked turkey. The popular Q&A site AllExperts dates the phrase back to 1910 and
states that it originally meant "without preparation," referring to the ease of making a dish of cold turkey. In 1922, the expression acquired its darker connotation related to drug withdrawal. Actually, our feathered friends have been the inspiration for many descriptive idioms, not always flattering to fowl. Here are some graphic examples: the ghost-inspired or cold-triggered phenomenon of goose bumps; the painful goose egg (bump) on the head; chicken feed, for a measly sum of money; and chicken livered, a synonym for cowardly. It seems there's plenty of fowl language in use to depict humans who are not at their best.
|
