turn on the waterworks

Idioms  

1. Start to weep, as in Whenever Dad refuses a request of hers she turns on the waterworks. This term implies that one begins to weep deliberately, as though switching on a system of pipes connected to reservoirs.

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Example Sentences

Even so, I’m usually decent enough to wait until Act II to turn on the waterworks.

From New York Times • Jul. 17, 2018

The Italian director Nanni Moretti knows how to turn on the waterworks, but he also knows about that burlesque called life.

From New York Times • Aug. 25, 2016

When he hits 715, don't expect him to turn on the waterworks.

From Time Magazine Archive