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turn turtle

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turn turtle

Fig. to turn upside down. (See also turn belly up.) The sailboat turned turtle, but the sailors only got wet. The car ran off the road and turned turtle in the ditch.

See also: turn, turtle

turn turtle

if a boat turns turtle, it turns upside down in the water We lost all our diving gear when the boat turned turtle just off the shore.

See also: turn, turtle

turn turtle

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]

See also: turn, turtle

turn turtle

in. to turn over, as with a ship. The old dog finally turned turtle, and that was the end.

See also: turn, turtle