I couldn't just turn tail and run, but I wasn't going to fight that monster, either.
•Sometimes turning tail is the only sensible thing to do.
Dictionary of American idioms. 2013.
turn tail (and run) — tv. to flee; to run away in fright. □ I couldn’t just turn tail and run, but I wasn’t going to fight that monster either. □ Sometimes turning tail is the only sensible thing to do … Dictionary of American slang and colloquial expressions
turn tail — verb flee; take to one s heels; cut and run If you see this man, run! The burglars escaped before the police showed up • Syn: ↑scat, ↑run, ↑scarper, ↑lam, ↑run away, ↑hightail it, ↑ … Useful english dictionary
turn tail — verb To flee; to run away; to leave. He was the sort of man who, faced with the prospect of marriage, decided to turn tail and run rather than commit … Wiktionary
turn tail — ► turn tail informal turn round and run away. Main Entry: ↑turn … English terms dictionary
turn tail — informal to run away, usually because you are frightened. When I saw him my first impulse was to turn tail and flee … New idioms dictionary
turn tail — informal turn round and run away. → turn … English new terms dictionary
To turn tail — Tail Tail, n. [AS. t[ae]gel, t[ae]gl; akin to G. zagel, Icel. tagl, Sw. tagel, Goth. tagl hair. [root]59.] 1. (Zo[ o]l.) The terminal, and usually flexible, posterior appendage of an animal. [1913 Webster] Note: The tail of mammals and reptiles… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
To turn tail — Turn Turn (t[^u]rn), v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Turned}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Turning}.] [OE. turnen, tournen, OF. tourner, torner, turner, F. tourner, LL. tornare, fr. L. tornare to turn in a lathe, to rounds off, fr. tornus a lathe, Gr. ? a turner s… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
turn tail — Synonyms and related words: abscond, absquatulate, beat a retreat, bolt, clear out, come about, cut and run, decamp, depart, desert, elope, fetch about, flee, fly, fugitate, go AWOL, go about, heel, jump, jump bail, levant, make off, pivot, pivot … Moby Thesaurus
turn tail — I was so shocked, I just turned tail Syn: run away, flee, bolt, make off, take to one s heels, cut and run, beat a (hasty) retreat; informal scram, skedaddle, vamoose … Thesaurus of popular words
turn tail — {v. phr.}, {informal} To run away from trouble or danger. * /When the bully saw my big brother, he turned tail and ran./ … Dictionary of American idioms
