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]

Words Nearby turn turtle

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.

How to use turn turtle in a sentence

  • She careened so badly that the girls shrieked and Malcolm himself thought she would turn turtle.

    The Red Year | Louis Tracy
  • How she didn't turn turtle is known only to Allah and Maturin; and One is great and the other's a damned fine sailor.

    Jaffery | William J. Locke
  • Almost every man aboard was thrown to the deck, and the vessel heeled over to starboard until it seemed she must turn turtle.

    The Boy With the U. S. Fisheries | Francis Rolt-Wheeler
  • Jim felt she was about to turn turtle and promptly threw himself on to the edge of the car, endeavouring to weigh her down.

    The Hero of Panama | F. S. Brereton
  • Let the ship turn turtle and go down, and at least the pang is over.