turn turtle

turn turtle

To turn upside down; to flip over. This phrase is often used to describe overturned boats or ships. You need to wear a life jacket because there's always a chance that the boat could turn turtle.

See also: turn, turtle

Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.

turn turtle

Fig. to turn upside down. (See also turn belly up.) The sailboat turned turtle, but the sailors only got wet. The car ran off the road and turned turtle in the ditch.

See also: turn, turtle

McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

turn turtle

Capsize, turn upside down, as in When they collided, the car turned turtle. This expression alludes to the helplessness of a turtle turned on its back, where its shell can no longer protect it. [First half of 1800s]

See also: turn, turtle

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

turn turtle

If a boat turns turtle, it turns upside down in the water. The boat nearly turned turtle twice, but I managed to keep her upright. Note: Turtles are helpless when they are turned onto their backs.

See also: turn, turtle

Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed. © HarperCollins Publishers 2012

turn turtle

turn upside down.

If a turtle is flipped over on to its back, it becomes helpless and unable to move. The phrase has long been used figuratively of inanimate objects, especially boats, that have turned upside down or overturned.

1990 Stephen King The Stand His tractor turned turtle on him and killed him.

See also: turn, turtle

Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017

turn ˈturtle

(of a boat) turn upside down: We turned turtle right in front of everybody at the yacht club. It was so embarrassing.

This expression refers to the fact that if a turtle is turned on its back, it is helpless and unable to move.

See also: turn, turtle

Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017

turn turtle

in. to turn over, as with a ship. The old dog finally turned turtle, and that was the end.

See also: turn, turtle

McGraw-Hill's Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions Copyright © 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

turn turtle, to

To capsize or overturn. This term comes from the helplessness of a turtle turned onto its shell-covered back, exposing its soft legs and body to danger. The metaphor, at first used for a capsized ship and later for any overturned endeavor, dates from the first half of the nineteenth century. Describing an early motor accident, the Daily News had it, “An engine and two trucks had turned turtle on the embankment” (July 9, 1896; cited by the OED).

See also: to, turn

The Dictionary of Clichés by Christine Ammer Copyright © 2013 by Christine Ammer