turn tail
Run away, as in When they heard the sirens, the boys turned tail. This term alludes to an animal's turning its back in flight. [Mid-1500s]
Words Nearby turn tail
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 tail in a sentence
Left without guidance a pony tends to edge more or less away from the wind, in order to turn tail to the weather.
Blazed Trail Stories | Stewart Edward WhiteFar more would they have been pleased to see the animals turn tail, and make away from them.
The Vee-Boers | Mayne ReidIt means he is going to turn tail, as I always thought he would,—the cursed cowardly traitor!
The Rangers | D. P. ThompsonWe'll not turn tail and run as the lobster backs did; but go out of here like men, if so be we may.
The Minute Boys of Boston | James OtisTheyll turn tail, and run a little way off after the crash of the gun inside here and seeing their mate keel over.
The Outdoor Chums in the Big Woods | Quincy Allen
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