The idiom "turn turtle" means to flip over or turn upside down. It is often used to describe a situation where something or someone has been turned over or capsized, such as a boat or a car.
The phrase "turn turtle" comes from the way turtles turn themselves over when they are flipped onto their backs. Turtles have a hard shell that makes it difficult for them to right themselves, and they often have to use their legs to push themselves back onto their feet.
In everyday English, we use the phrase "turn turtle" to describe situations where something has gone wrong, or where things have become chaotic or out of control. For example, you might say "The party turned turtle when the police arrived," meaning that the party became chaotic and disorganized when the police showed up.
Overall, "turn turtle" is a colorful and expressive idiom that is often used to describe situations where things have gone wrong or become chaotic.
• The world economy could turn turtle if there is a major financial crisis in one of the major countries.
• When the car hit the curb, it turned turtle and the driver was stuck inside.
• The political situation in the country could turn turtle if the government fails to address the people's grievances.
• The astronaut's spacecraft turned turtle during re-entry, causing a panic at mission control.
• The boat turned turtle during the storm and we had to swim to the shore.
• The company's profits turned turtle after the CEO made a series of poor decisions.