turn the tables

1. To reverse a situation and gain the upper hand: “After trailing the entire first quarter, the team rallied and finally turned the tables.”

Idioms and Phrases

Reverse a situation and gain the upper hand, as in Steffi won their previous three matches but today Mary turned the tables and prevailed. This expression alludes to the former practice of reversing the table or board in games such as chess, thereby switching the opponents' positions. [c. 1600]

Related Words

• alter 
• annul 
• dismantle 
• invalidate 
• lift 
• modify 
• nullify 
• overrule 
• overturn 
• quash 
• repeal 
• rescind 
• revoke 
• set aside 
• undo