turn tail

Idioms  

1. 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]

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Example Sentences

Some people turn tail when they learn their potential romantic partner has a cat.

From The Wall Street Journal

What growls live inside Mother and Father, even the pups, for me, seeing as I did the same thing to them—just turned tail and ran?

From Literature

One was carrying Russian naphtha—a diluent Venezuela uses to mix with heavy oil—to the South American country when it turned tail in the Indian Ocean; the others were empty.

From The Wall Street Journal

Stick it out long enough, and they’ll turn on their own allies, start fighting among themselves, turn tail and run away.

From Salon

In any event, National Review turned tail and ran.

From Los Angeles Times