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turn tail

turn around in order to run away.
"when the militia units realized they faced a determined enemy they turned tail and fled"
synonyms: run away, flee, bolt, make off, take to one's heels, cut and run, beat a (hasty) retreat, scram, skedaddle, vamoose, scarper

People also ask
to turn around and run away, usually because you are frightened: As soon as they saw we had guns, they turned tail and ran away.
to hasten away from something dangerous or frightening You can't go around starting fights and then turning tail when they don't go your way.
to turn and run away from someone or something because you are frightened of them. Rebels were forced back from position after position until they turned ...
It means he is going to turn tail, as I always thought he would,—the cursed cowardly traitor! From Project Gutenberg.
One who turns tail, or flees in cowardice. Anagrams edit · rutilant.
Turn-tail definition: (idiomatic) To turn away from someone or something, in preparation for running away; to reverse direction; to leave or flee.
turn ˈtail (and run, flee, etc.) run away from a fight or a dangerous situation: As soon as he saw the police he turned tail and fled.
as in retreated. to hasten away from something dangerous or frightening You can't go around starting fights and then turning tail when they don't go your way.