turn back the clock

turn back the clock
turn back the clock & turn the clock back turn belly up & go belly up
1. Sl. to fail. (See also turn turtle.) •

I sort of felt that the whole thing would go belly up, and I was right.

•

The computer—on its last legs anyway— turned belly up right in the middle of an important job.

2. Sl. to die. (As a fish does when it dies.) •

The cat was acting strangely for a while before she turned belly up.

•

Every fish in Greg's tank went belly up last night.

; turn the clock back
* * *
See: PUT BACK THE CLOCK.

Dictionary of American idioms. 2013.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • turn back the clock — See: PUT BACK THE CLOCK …   Dictionary of American idioms

  • Turn Back the Clock (album) — Infobox Album Name = Turn Back the Clock Type = Studio album Artist = Johnny Hates Jazz Released = 1988 Recorded = 1986–1987 Genre = Pop Length = 36:24 (original), 56:44 (reissue) Label = Virgin Records Producer = Calvin Hayes, Mike Nocito… …   Wikipedia

  • turn back the clock — phrasal to revert to or remind of a condition existing in the past …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • put back the clock — or[turn back the clock] {v. phr.} To go back in time; relive the past. * /If I could put back the clock I d give more thought to preparing for a career./ * /Richard wishes that he had lived in frontier days, but he can t turn back the clock./ …   Dictionary of American idioms

  • put back the clock — or[turn back the clock] {v. phr.} To go back in time; relive the past. * /If I could put back the clock I d give more thought to preparing for a career./ * /Richard wishes that he had lived in frontier days, but he can t turn back the clock./ …   Dictionary of American idioms

  • 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… …   Dictionary of American idioms

  • 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… …   Dictionary of American idioms

  • Jack-of-the-clock — Jack Jack (j[a^]k), n. [F. Jacques James, L. Jacobus, Gr. ?, Heb. Ya aq[=o]b Jacob; prop., seizing by the heel; hence, a supplanter. Cf. {Jacobite}, {Jockey}.] [1913 Webster] 1. A familiar nickname of, or substitute for, John. [1913 Webster] You… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • clock — See: AGAINST TIME or AGAINST THE CLOCK, AROUND THE CLOCK or THE CLOCK AROUND, PUT BACK THE CLOCK or TURN BACK THE CLOCK, GO LIKE CLOCKWORK or GO OFF LIKE CLOCKWORK, TURN THE CLOCK BACK …   Dictionary of American idioms

  • clock — See: AGAINST TIME or AGAINST THE CLOCK, AROUND THE CLOCK or THE CLOCK AROUND, PUT BACK THE CLOCK or TURN BACK THE CLOCK, GO LIKE CLOCKWORK or GO OFF LIKE CLOCKWORK, TURN THE CLOCK BACK …   Dictionary of American idioms

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