(as) fertile as a turtle

Extremely fertile. I can't believe my sister is pregnant for the fourth time in five years. She is just fertile as a turtle! Some of these feral cats are fertile as a turtle—that's why we need to catch and spay them. Then we can return them to the outdoors. You always assume you're fertile as a turtle until you start trying to get pregnant.

(as) slow as a turtle

Exceptionally slow or sluggish; not fast at all. This old laptop my dad gave me is a piece of junk. It runs as slow as a turtle! Come on, Becky, you're slow as a turtle back there! Pick up the pace and keep up with the group. We're definitely going to be late if traffic keeps moving as slow as a turtle.

be (as) fertile as a turtle

To be extremely fertile. I can't believe my sister is pregnant for the fourth time in five years. She is just fertile as a turtle! Some of these feral cats are fertile as a turtle—that's why we need to catch and spay them. Then we can return them to the outdoors. You always assume you're fertile as a turtle until you start trying to get pregnant.

be (as) slow as a turtle

To be exceptionally slow or sluggish; to not be fast at all. This old laptop my dad gave me is a piece of junk. It's as slow as a turtle! Come on, Becky, you're slow as a turtle back there! Pick up the pace and keep up with the group. We're definitely going to be late if traffic keeps moving as slow as a turtle.

move like a herd of turtles

To proceed or advance very slowly. Oh yeah, we're moving like a herd of turtles. Any time you go for a walk with a toddler, it's gonna be a slow one. Even though our project's been approved, we need to do a lot of research before we can start working in earnest. So things are moving like a herd of turtles for now.

off like a herd of turtles

Proceeding or advancing very slowly. Oh yeah, we're off like a herd of turtles. Any time you go for a walk with a toddler, it's gonna be a slow one. Even though our project's been approved, we need to do a lot of research before we can start working in earnest. So things are off like a herd of turtles for now.

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

turtle head

1. To pop one's head up behind or out from within something, in a manner resembling a turtle's head emerging from its shell. Everyone started turtle heading in their cubicles to see where the music was coming from. People around the campsite began to turtle head from their tents to see what was happening.

2. vulgar slang To need to defecate so badly that one's feces begin to come out through the anus involuntarily. I need to find a bathroom now—I'm starting to turtle head! I was turtle heading by the time we finally got to a rest stop.

turtledove

A term of endearment, typically for a romantic partner. Gene is very excited to have a new little turtledove in his life. OK, turtledove, I'll see you at 8 o'clock.

turtleneck

slang The foreskin of the penis. An allusion to a type of sweater with a high, tubular, close-fitting collar. At first I assumed we'd get our son circumcised, but the doctors said there was no reason to get rid of his little turtleneck.

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

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

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

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

turtle heading

n. popping up and down in an office cubicle, looking at what’s going on in the rest of the office. (see also prairie dog.) Everybody was turtle heading, trying to see what was happening in Willy’s cubicle.

turtle-neck

n. the penile foreskin. (A play on the type of collar.) He’s talking to the doctor about getting rid of his little turtle-neck.

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).