1
general::
Phrase(s): turn (up)on someone or something
to attack or oppose someone or something, especially the person or group in charge. (Upon is formal and less commonly used than on.) • I never thought that my own dog would turn on me! • The treasurer turned on the entire board of directors., Phrase(s): turn something on
to switch on something to make it run. • I turned the microwave oven on and cooked dinner. • I turned on the lights when the sun went down., Phrase(s): turn on someone
to attack someone. • I thought the strange dog was friendly, but suddenly it turned on me and bit me. • Bob knows a lot about lions, and he says that no matter how well they are trained, there is always the danger that they’ll turn on you., Phrase(s): turn on
1. Lit. [for something] to switch on and start running. • The lights turned on right at dusk. • At what time do the street lights turn on? 2. Fig. to become interested or excited. • He turns on when he sees the mountains. • Ann will turn on if she hears this song., Phrase(s): turn someone on
to excite or interest someone. • Fast music with a good beat turns me on. • That stuff doesn’t turn on anyone.
McGrawhill's American Idioms And Phrasal Verbs
2
general::
1. Cause to begin the operation, flow, or activity of, as in Turn on the lights, please, or Don't turn on the sprinkler yet. [First half of 1800s] 2. Begin to display, employ, or exude, as in He turned on the charm. [Late 1800s] 3. Also, get high or on. Take or cause to take a mind-altering drug, as in The boys were excited about turning on, or They tried to get her high, or I told them I wouldn't get on tonight. [Slang; mid-1900s] 4. Be or cause to become excited or interested, as in His mother was the first to turn him on to classical music. [c. 1900] 5. Be or become sexually aroused, as in He blushed when she asked him what turned him on. [Second half of 1900s] 6. Also, turn upon. Depend on, relate to, as in The entire plot turns on mistaken identity. This usage, first recorded in 1661, uses turn in the sense of ‘‘revolve on an axis or hinge." 7. Also, turn upon. Attack, become hostile toward, as in Although normally friendly, the dog suddenly turned on everyone who came to the door. Also see TURN AGAINST.
American Heritage Idioms