to turn into a pumpkin
1
9.3
- idiom
- Informal
:
convertirse en calabaza
- She said she would turn into a pumpkin if she stayed out any longer.
Examples
-
As the clock struck midnight, I knew it was time to turn into a pumpkin and head to bed.
-
We can talk over this whole Nike thing, and you'll still have her home before she turns into a pumpkin.
-
It's getting late, and I really need to go home before I turn into a pumpkin.
Synonyms
52
3.2
Stop what you are doing for the evening, usually to go to bed or go home
27
3.5
To go to bed to sleep
8
6.0
To go to bed to sleep after a long day
4
7.5
To go to bed to sleep
3
3.3
To go to bed slowly because you feel very tired
1
8.6
To go to bed to sleep
1
8.8
To sleep very early, often soon after sunset
To go to bed or sleep
To leave a place quickly, often as a joke
How Tired
- Informal
10
6.0
- Informal
1
9.3
- Informal
27
3.5
485
1.0
- Informal
52
3.2
Surface Forms
Morphology
The constituent words clearly signal a change of state ('turn' + 'into' + 'pumpkin'), so a learner would grasp the literal idea of transformation. However, the idiomatic use (humorously meaning one must leave or go to bed) depends on cultural knowledge of the Cinderella story and is not directly predictable from the parts, so the expression is only partially transparent.
Etymology
Turn into a pumpkin comes from the Cinderella story: at midnight the magic carriage turns back into a pumpkin. So, saying you'll turn into a pumpkin is a joking way to say you must 'go to bed' or 'leave' because it is late.