turn a phrase | Idiomator

Meaning: (idiomatic)To create aparticularlinguisticexpressionwhich isstrikinglyclear,appropriate, andmemorable.1861,Charles Reade, chapter 61, inThe Cloister and the Hearth:Gerard coloured all over at the compliment; but not knowing how toturn a phraseequal to the occasion, asked her if he should resume her picture.1887,Francis Marion Crawford, chapter 8, inPaul Patoff:"Ah, how gracefully these wild northern men canturn a phrase!" whispered Chrysophrasia.1906,Edith Nesbit, chapter 3, inThe Incomplete Amorist:Everyone who was anyone at Long Barton spoke in careful and correct English, but no one ever troubled toturn a phrase.2004, Elisabeth Egan, "A world of talking cats and lost, lonely boys" (review ofMoe's Villa and Other Storiesby James Purdy),San Francisco Chronicle, 5 Dec. (retrieved 4 June 2008):Nobody, however, can take issue with Purdy's ability toturn a phrase. He has that rare Joycean knack for illuminating an entire universe with one simple detail.

Examples:

EN: Oh, Doc, baby, you do turn a phrase.
ES: Doctor, sabe expresar bien las cosas.
ES: Doctor, sabe expresar bien las cosas.
EN: I swear, you turn a phrase.
ES: - Le juro que sí.
ES: - Le juro que sí.
EN: Movie stars, athletes and politicians would turn to her if they couldn't turn a phrase.
ES: Actores y políticos acudían a ella con presteza si no tenían destreza con la pluma.
EN: This girl can really turn a phrase.
ES: Esta chica se expresa realmente con elegancia.
EN: You certainly can turn a phrase, my lord.
ES: Ciertamente puede hacer que una frase cambie de significado, mi señor.
EN: Nobody could turn a phrase like Thoreau.
ES: Nadie escribe como Hank Thoreau.
EN: At least your beloved Jean Luc knew how to turn a phrase.
ES: Al menos, su querido Jean-Luc sabía como hacerlo.
EN: Many poets can turn a phrase, but most of them don't have the balls to tackle the really great themes.
ES: Muchos poetas pueden escribir una frase... pero la mayoría no tiene las agallas... para tocar los temas realmente importantes.
EN: No matter how much of a jackass you're being... - you always know how to turn a phrase. - You think I'm a jackass?
ES: Sin importar lo idiota que seas siempre sabes tomar las cosas con humor.
EN: That Flaubert could really turn a phrase.
ES: Ese Flaubert podía realmente retorcer una frase.
EN: Well, you can certainly turn a phrase.
ES: Bueno, ciertamente puedes cambiar una frase.
EN: I don't mean that violently, I was just trying to turn a phrase.
ES: No quería ser violento, sino hacer un juego de palabras.
EN: And Alice here, well, she can turn a phrase.
ES: Y Alice aquí, bueno, puede imaginar una frase.
EN: Gloria didn't just turn a phrase,
ES: Gloria, sintió miedo.
EN: You always did know how to turn a phrase.
ES: Siempre supiste cómo dar vuelta a una frase.

Note: the examples for non latin scripts have a high likelihood of mistakes, we do not own any of this data and it is sourced from Wiktionary, the NLLB database and Opensubtitles. Please help us improve this by contributing correct examples. We will be working to fix this issue over time however it is a bigger issue due to the the difficulties in dealing with non latin scripts and grammatical structures(non-romantic/european languages have lower resources as well ).