phrasal verb / idiom · informal
turn tail (and run)
UK/tɜːn teɪl ænd rʌn/US/tɜːrn teɪl ænd rʌn/turn·TAIL·and·RUN
to run away quickly, especially out of fear or because one is defeated
Examples
“When the alarms sounded, the looters turned tail and ran.”
“Faced with criticism, the politician didn't answer and simply turned tail.”
“The frightened hikers turned tail when the storm got worse.”
Band 8 sentence
“When disaster struck, a few opportunists turned tail and ran, but most residents stayed to help each other.”
Collocations
- turn tail and run
- turn tail when faced with criticism/danger
Word family
Common mistakes
say 'turn his tail' (nghĩa đen) or 'turn tail around'→turn tail (and run)
use 'escape' to convey the idiom's nuance→turn tail
Say it for a higher band
5run away→6flee→7+turn tail (and run)
Synonyms
flee
run away
Easily confused
flee
“The suspects fled the scene before the police arrived.”
turn one's back on
“Many fans turned their backs on the club after the scandal.”
Related words
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In turn …
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