to turn the corner
14
4.2
- idiom
- "All these developments are encouraging, and we may have turned the corner on this pest," says national program leader Faust.
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Watch on YouTubeI think what we didn't do was make the hard decisions to to turn the corner earlier.
- I think what we didn't do was make the hard decisions to to turn the corner earlier.
- And for, for a chance to really be given for this man to show that he has turned the corner.
- Once you get your head around that, that may be where as pain and grief filled as that recognition is that you finally turned the corner on healing.
- Now he has turned the corner of admitting that he has a rage issue, that he gets verbally abusive.
Examples
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The diversion of just a fraction of this can help coastal communities turn the corner.
Academic text (2005) -
You have been working hard to turn the corner.
Blog text (2) -
So, it looks like, um, we are turning the corner out here.
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Now we can turn the corner.
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But by and large, we have turned the corner.
Academic text (1995) -
Hopefully, things have turned the corner and we'll see a marked improvement tomorrow.
Blog text (4) -
I felt I had turned the corner and was on the winning side of this four-year battle.
Blog text (5) -
Has Latin America finally turned the corner toward economic growth, democratic governance, and hemispheric community?
Academic text (1993) -
Best case scenario: KU actually did turn the corner last week because of all the reps.
Blog text (25) -
After struggling for months, she finally feels like she has turned the corner in her recovery.
Synonyms
157
3.2
To make someone or something better after a bad time
60
3.5
Get better quickly after an illness, problem, or setback
42
4.3
To get back to normal after a problem
27
3.7
To recover after illness, money problems, or other setbacks
Antonyms
How Recovered
748
2.5
∞
1.0
573
1.0
14
4.2
- US
75
4.3
Surface Forms
Morphology
The sense 'to begin to improve' is a metaphorical extension of the literal image of 'turn' + 'corner' (leaving a difficult stretch behind by physically turning a corner). A B1 learner who knows the words might infer a change of state or direction, but the specific idiomatic sense of recovery/improvement requires metaphorical mapping and some exposure, so it is not fully transparent.
Etymology
The phrase turn the corner comes from the simple image of walking until you turn a street corner and suddenly leave a dark place and see a brighter view. That's why it now means 'to begin to improve' or 'to recover' after a hard time.