turn turtle

Idioms  

1. 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]

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Example Sentences

You see, the boat is top-heavy, owing to the cabin superstructure, and it wouldn't be impossible for her to turn turtle in a heavy sea.

From The Chauffeur and the Chaperon by Anderson, Karl

But the sorcerer answered: “Did not my ship turn turtle at sea, and yet you try to deceive me?”

From The Chinese Fairy Book by Wilhelm, Richard

Almost every man aboard was thrown to the deck, and the vessel heeled over to starboard until it seemed she must turn turtle.

From The Boy With the U. S. Fisheries by Rolt-Wheeler, Francis

I don't know, but perhaps the minute I get some wind in the sail the whole outfit will turn turtle.

From The Battleship Boys' First Step Upward or, Winning Their Grades as Petty Officers by Patchin, Frank Gee

With such a wind sucking under them might have made the boat turn turtle, Mrs. Calvert, don’t you know?

From Dorothy on a House Boat by Raymond, Evelyn