turn in one's grave

English

Alternative forms

• roll in one's grave, roll over in one's grave, spin in one's grave, turn over in one's grave (US)

Etymology

Documented in English since 1801, perhaps from Jewish rabbinic tradition that the bones of Judah rolled about in his coffin for his shame during the Exodus

Pronunciation

• Audio (AU)

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Verb

turn in one's grave (third-person singular simple present turns in one's grave, present participle turning in one's grave, simple past and past participle turned in one's grave)

1. (idiomatic) To be appalled, offended or disgusted by something, despite being deceased.

   Beethoven is probably turning in his grave at the way that rock group mangled his Ninth Symphony.

   The new scientific discovery about the gravitation particle could make Isaac Newton turn in his grave.

   • 1937, Rodgers and Hart (lyrics and music), “Johnny One Note”:

     Brought forth wind that made critics rave / While Verdi turned round in his grave

   • 1989, The The (lyrics and music), “Armageddon Days Are Here (Again)”, in Mind Bomb:

     If he ever finds out who's hijacked his name / He'll cut out his heart and turn in his grave

2. Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see turn,‎ in,‎ one's,‎ grave.

Translations

be appalled, offended or disgusted by something, despite being deceased

• Catalan: rodar en la seva tumba
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 某人的棺材板都壓不住了／某人的棺材板都压不住了 (mǒurén de guāncaibǎn dōu yābùzhù le)

• Czech: obracet se v hrobě (cs)
• Finnish: kääntyä haudassaan
• French: se retourner dans sa tombe (fr)
• German: sich im Grabe umdrehen, sich im Grab umdrehen
• Hungarian: megfordul a sírjában, forog a sírjában (hu)
• Italian: rigirarsi nella tomba, rivoltarsi nella tomba, girarsi nella tomba
• Lithuanian: grabe apsisuktų
• Polish: przewracać się w grobie
• Portuguese: girar-se na sua sepultura, revirar-se no túmulo
• Russian: переверну́ться в гробу́ (perevernútʹsja v grobú)
• Spanish: revolverse en su tumba
• Swedish: vända sig i graven (sv), vända sig i sin grav (sv)
• Turkish: mezarında ters dönmek, kemikleri sızlamak (tr)