turn turtle
To become upset.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
“He will turn turtle if you criticize his work.”
“You often turn turtle when your favorite team loses a game.”
“I turn turtle if my computer crashes before I save my work.”
“She tends to turn turtle whenever the project schedule changes without any warning.”
“My neighbor usually turns turtle when the local council announces new parking rules that affect his street.”
“The chef might turn turtle if the delivery driver brings the wrong ingredients during the busy lunch rush.”
“The director is known to turn turtle at the slightest hint of dissent, often shutting down meetings before any real progress occurs.”
disputed origin
The idiom is possibly derived from the practice of turning a turtle onto its back, a manoeuvre which renders the animal quite helpless. By placing the creature on its shell, one ensures it cannot right itself, a state of total inversion that transferred to the capsizing of ships. The phrase appears in mid-19th-century maritime contexts, though the exact moment the reptile’s misfortune became a nautical standard remains unrecorded.
- 01
Buggins's turn
A humorous, disparaging term for the appointment of a person by rotation or promotion, on the basis of length of service (it being that person's "turn") rather than merit or level of qualification.
- 02
everything one touches turns to gold
Everything someone uses or does succeeds or becomes better.
- 03
everything one touches turns to shit
Everything someone uses or does fails or becomes worse.
- 04
good turn
A good deed; a thoughtful or selfless act.
- 05
left turn
An unexpected change from the way things seemed to be going.
- 06
poacher turned gamekeeper
A person now charged with protecting what they formerly preyed upon.
- 07
serve the turn
To suffice for one's immediate purpose or need.
- 08
star turn
An acting performance which causes the performer to become renowned.
Last updated August 10, 2026