[turn for the worse] See: FOR THE WORSE.
[turn in]{v.} 1. or [hand in] To give to someone; deliver to someone. •/I want you to turn in a good history paper./ •/When the football season was over, we turned in our uniforms./ 2. To inform on; report. •/She turned them in to the police for breaking the street light./ 3. To give in return for something. •/They turned in their old money for new./ •/We turned our car in on a new model./ Syn.: TRADE IN. 4. {informal} To go to bed. •/We were tired, so we turned in about nine o’clock./ Contrast: TURN OUT(4).
[turn in one’s grave] or [turn over in one’s grave] {v. phr.} To be so grieved or angry that you would not rest quietly in your grave. •/If your grandfather could see what you’re doing now, he would turn over in his grave./
[turn loose] See: LET LOOSE(1a).
[turn off]{v.} 1. To stop by turning a knob or handle or by working a switch; to cause to be off. •/He turned the water off./ •/He turned off the light./ 2. To leave by turning right or left onto another way./ •/Turn off the highway at exit 5./ •/The car turned off on Bridge Street./ 3. {slang} To disgust, bore, or repel (someone) by being intellectually, emotionally, socially, or sexually unattractive. •/I won’t date Linda Bell anymore — she just turns me off./ Contrast: TURN ON.
[turn of the century]{n. phr.} The time at the end of one century and the beginning of the next century; {especially}: The time when the 1800’s became the 1900’s; the early 1900’s. •/Automobiles were strange things to see at the turn of the century./
[turn on]{v.} 1. To start by turning a knob or handle or working a switch; cause to be on. •/Jack turned on the water./ •/Who turned the lights on?/ 2. {informal} To put forth or succeed with as easily as turning on water. •/She really turns on the charm when that new boy is around./ 3. To attack. •/The lion tamer was afraid the lions would turn on him./ •/After Joe fumbled the ball and lost the big game, his friends turned on him./ 4. {slang} The opposite of turning someone off; to become greatly interested in an idea, person, or undertaking; to arouse the senses pleasantly. •/Mozart’s music always turns me on./ 5. Introducing someone to a new experience, or set of values. •/Benjamin turned me on to transcendental meditation, and ever since I’ve been feeling great!/ Contrast: TURN OFF.
[turn on a dime]{v. phr.} To be able to turn in a very narrow spot comparable to a small coin. •/This new sports car can turn on a dime./
[turn one around one’s little finger] See: TWIST ONE AROUND ONE’S LITTLE FINGER.
[turn one’s back on]{v. phr.} To refuse to help (someone in trouble or need.) •/He turned his back on his own family when they needed help./ •/The poorer nations are often not grateful for our help, but still we can not turn our back on them./ Compare: GO BACK ON(1).
[turn one’s hand to] See: PUT ONE’S HAND TO.
[turn one’s head]{v. phr.}, {informal} To make you lose your good judgment. •/The first pretty girl he saw turned his head./ •/Winning the class election turned his head./
[turn one’s nose up at]{v. phr.} To scorn; snub; look down at somebody or something. •/I don’t understand why Sue has to turn her nose up at everyone who didn’t go to an Ivy League college./
[turn one’s stomach]{v. phr.}, {informal} To make you feel sick. •/The smell of that cigar was enough to turn your stomach./ •/The sight of blood turns my stomach./
[turn on one’s heel]{v. phr.} To turn around suddenly. •/When John saw Fred approaching him, he turned on his heel./ •/When little Tommy’s big brother showed up, the bully turned on his heel./
[turnout]{n.} The number of people in attendance at a gathering. •/This is a terrific turnout for Tim’s poetry reading./
[turn out]{v.} 1. To make leave or go away. •/His father turned him out of the house./ •/If you don’t behave, you will be turned out./ Compare: THROW OUT. 2. To turn inside out; empty. •/He turned out his pockets looking for the money./ •/Robbers turned out all the drawers in the house in a search for jewels./ 3. To make; produce. •/The printing press turns out a thousand books an hour./ •/Sally can turn out a cake in no time./ •/Martin turns out a poem each week for the school paper./ 4. {informal} To get out of bed. •/At camp the boys had to turn out early and go to bed early too./ Contrast: TURN IN(4). 5. {informal} To come or go out to see or do something. •/Everybody turned out for the big parade./ •/Many boys turned out for football practice./ Compare: FALL OUT. 6. To prove to be; be in the end; be found to be. •/The noise turned out to be just the dog scratching at the door./ •/Her guess turned out to be right./ •/Everything turned out all right./ 7. To make (a light) go out. •/Please turn out the lights./ Syn.: TURN OFF(1).
[turnover]{n.} 1. The proportion of expenditure and income realized in a business; the volume of traffic in a business. •/Our turnover is so great that in two short years we tripled our original investment and are expanding at a great rate./ 2. Triangular baked pastry filled with some fruit. •/John’s favorite dessert is apple turnovers./ 3. The number of employees coming and going in a company. •/The boss is so strict in our office that the turnover in personnel is very large./
[turn over]{v.} 1. To roll, tip, or turn from one side to the other; overturn; upset. •/He’s going to turn over the page./ •/The bike hit a rock and turned over./ 2, To think about carefully; to consider. •/He turned the problem over in his mind for three days before he did anything about it./ 3. To give to someone for use or care. •/I turned my library books over to the librarian./ •/Mrs. Jackson brought her boy to the school and turned him over to the housefather./ •/Bob turns over most of the money he earns to his mother./ 4. Of an engine or motor; to start. •/The battery is dead and the motor won’t turn over./ 5a. To buy and then sell to customers. •/The store turned over $5,000 worth of skiing equipment in January./ 5b. To be bought in large enough amounts; sell. •/In a shoe store, shoes of medium width turn over quickly, because many people wear that size, but a pair of narrow shoes may not be sold for years./
[turn over a new leaf]{v. phr.} To start afresh; to have a new beginning. •/"Don’t be sad, Jane," Sue said. "A divorce is not the end of the world. Just turn over a new leaf and you will soon be happy again."/ Compare: CLEAN SLATE.
[turn over in one’s grave] See: TURN IN ONE’S GRAVE.
[turn over in one’s mind]{v. phr.} To carefully consider. •/I will have to turn it over in my mind whether to accept the new job offer from Japan./
[turn tail]{v. phr.}, {informal} To run away from trouble or danger. •/When the bully saw my big brother, he turned tail and ran./
[turn the clock back]{v. phr.} To return to an earlier period. •/Mother wished she could turn the clock back to the days before the children grew up and left home./ •/Will repealing the minimum wage for workers under age eighteen turn the clock back to the abuses of the last century?/
[turn the other cheek]{v. phr.} To let someone do something to you and not to do it in return; not hit back when hit; be patient when injured or insulted by someone; not try to get even. •/Joe turned the other cheek when he was hit with a snowball./
[turn the scales]{v. phr.} To affect the balance in favor of one party or group against the other. •/It could well be that the speech he made turned the scales in their favor./
[turn the tables]{v. phr.} To make something happen just the opposite of how it is supposed to happen. •/The boys turned the tables on John when they took his squirt gun away and squirted him./
[turn the tide]{v. phr.} To change what looks like defeat into victory. •/We were losing the game until Jack got there. His coming turned the tide for us, and we won./ Compare: TIP THE SCALES.
[turn the trick]{v. phr.}, {informal} To bring about the result you want; succeed in what you plan to do. •/Jerry wanted to win both the swimming and diving contests, but he couldn’t quite turn the trick./ Compare: DO THE TRICK.
[turn thumbs down]{v. phr.} To disapprove or reject; say no. — Usually used with "on". •/The company turned thumbs down on Mr. Smith’s sales plan./ •/The men turned thumbs down on a strike at that time./
[turn to]{v.} To begin working with much energy. •/All the boys turned to and cleaned the cabin in a few minutes./ •/Mary turned to and studied for the test./ Syn.: FALL TO.
[turn turtle]{v. phr.} To turn upside down. •/The car skidded on the ice and turned turtle./
[turn up]{v.} 1. To find; discover. •/The police searched the house hoping to turn up more clues./ 2. To appear or be found suddenly or unexpectedly. •/The missing boy turned up an hour later./ •/A man without training works at whatever jobs turn up./ Compare: SHOW UP(3).
[turn up one’s nose at]{v. phr.} To refuse as not being good enough for you. •/He thinks he should only get steak, and he turns up his nose at hamburger./
[turn up one’s toes]{v. phr.}, {slang} To die. •/One morning the children found that their pet mouse had turned up his toes, so they had a funeral for him./ Compare: PUSH UP THE DAISIES.
[turtle] See: TURN TURTLE.
[tut-tut]{interj.}, {informal} Used to express mild disapproval. •/"Tut-tut," said the teacher. "You shouldn’t cross the street without looking."/ •/Tut-tut, put that piece of candy back. You’ve already had three pieces./
[twice] See: BIG AS LIFE(2), LIGHTNING NEVER STRIKES TWICE IN THE SAME PLACE, THINK TWICE, ONCE BITTEN, TWICE SHY and BURNT CHILD DREADS THE FIRE.
[twice as natural] See: BIG AS LIFE or BIG AS LIFE AND TWICE AS NATURAL.
[twiddle one’s thumbs]{v. phr.} To do nothing; be idle. •/I’d rather work than stand around here twiddling my thumbs./
[twist one around one’s little finger] also [turn one around one’s little finger] or [wrap one around one’s finger] {v. phr.} To have complete control over; to be able to make (someone) do anything you want. •/Sue can twist any of the boys around her little finger./ Compare: JUMP THROUGH A HOOP.
[twist one’s arm]{v. phr.}, {informal} To force someone; threaten someone to make him do something. — Usually used jokingly. •/Will you dance with the prettiest girl in school? Stop, you’re twisting my arm!/ •/I had to twist Tom’s arm to make him eat the candy!/
[two] See: BETWEEN THE DEVIL AND THE DEEP BLUE SEA or BETWEEN TWO FIRES, TWO CENTS, BIRD IN THE HAND IS WORTH TWO IN THE BUSH, CUT BOTH WAYS or CUT TWO WAYS, HAVE TWO STRIKES AGAINST ONE, IN TWO, KILL TWO BIRDS WITH ONE STONE, NO TWO WAYS ABOUT IT, PUT TWO AND TWO TOGETHER, STAND ON ONE’S OWN FEET or STAND ON ONE’S OWN TWO FEET, TELL A THING OR TWO, THING OR TWO.
[two bits]{n.}, {slang} Twenty-five cents; a quarter of a dollar. •/A haircut only cost two bits when Grandfather was young./ Compare: FOUR BITS, SIX BITS.
[two cents]{n.}{informal} 1. Something not important or very small; almost nothing. •/Paul was so angry that he said for two cents he would quit the team./ •/When John saw that the girl he was scolding was lame, he felt like two cents./ 2. or [two cents worth] Something you want to say; opinion. — Used with a possessive. •/The boys were talking about baseball, and Harry put in his two cents worth, even though he didn’t know much about baseball./ •/If we want your two cents, we’ll ask for it./
[two-faced]{adj.} Insincere; disloyal; deceitful. •/Don’t confide too much in him as he has the reputation of being two-faced./ Compare: SPEAK WITH A FORKED TONGUE.
