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Glite Dictionary
to turn on someone's head

to turn on someone's head

7.5
Completely change the usual idea about something
  • idiom
translation icon : dar la vuelta a algo
  • The new research will turn our understanding of climate change on its head.

Examples

  • The documentary aims to turn our perceptions of ancient civilizations on their head.

  • Her innovative ideas could turn the fashion world on its head.

  • They turned Gibson's idea on its head.

    HyperNormalisation (2016)

Synonyms

to turn (something) upside down
vsto turn on someone's head
  • Informal
51 4.5

Cause a big sudden change that leaves people confused

means changing understanding rather than only causing disorder
to turn (something) on its head
vsto turn on someone's head
  • Informal
12 6.5

Make people see something in a very different way

focuses on reversing the normal order or understanding fully
to do a 180
vsto turn on someone's head
  • Informal
4 6.8

To completely change your opinion or decision

is about changing how something is understood rather than just choices
to do an about-face
vsto turn on someone's head
  • Informal
3 6.6

To suddenly change your opinion or plan to the opposite

is broader covering reversal of perception or order not only actions
to about-face
vsto turn on someone's head
  • Literature
3 6.7

To change your opinion or position completely and suddenly

focuses on reversing understanding or order rather than only positions
to turn on one's head
vsto turn on someone's head
  • Informal
1 7.1

Completely change what people think about something

emphasizes reversing the usual order or accepted view instead
to turn up on its ear
vsto turn on someone's head
  • US
8.6

To change a situation completely and suddenly

focuses on altering the accepted order not only surprising effects

Antonyms

to maintain
931 3.1

Keep an activity, quality, or schedule going over time

How Radical

to overthrow
127 5.1
to turn on someone's head
7.5
to invert
28 4.8
to reconsider
227 3.7

Surface Forms

turn on someone's head infinitive
turned on someone's head past
turned on someone's head past participle
turning on someone's head present participle
turns on someone's head third person singular

Morphology

turn + on + someone's + head

The literal combination of 'turn' + 'head' evokes physically inverting something, so a B1 learner who knows the words could plausibly infer a meaning like 'reverse' or 'upend.' However, the phrase is a metaphorical extension used idiomatically for reversing an order or understanding, which is language-specific and not fully predictable from the parts, so it is only partially transparent.

Etymology

The idiom turn something on its head shows a clear picture: imagine giving a person or idea a full turn so the head is at the bottom and everything is upside down. That's why it means 'to completely reverse or change how something is understood'.