the worm turns

the worm turns

Even quiet, submissive people will get angry and retaliate if you continue to agitate or oppress them. Sweet little Thomas is going to snap at you if you keep bugging him—the worm turns eventually. A: "Geez, Janice just totally humiliated her boss in front of everyone." B: "The worm turns, I guess. The dictatorship's killing of the beloved political rebel has stoked the flames of insurrection in the population. Now the worm turns.
See also: turn, worm
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

worm turns, the

Also, the worm has turned. Even a very tolerant person will one day lose patience. For example, He bullied his assistant for years, but one day the worm turned and he walked out without notice, taking along his best clients . This expression comes from the proverb Tread on a worm and it will turn, first recorded in John Heywood's 1546 collection.
See also: worm
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.

the ˌworm ˈturns

(informal) even a patient, calm person will get angry if they are repeatedly badly treated: He’s often rude to his secretary and she doesn’t say anything — but one day the worm will turn.
See also: turn, worm
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary

worm turns, the

The loser becomes a winner. The expression comes from an old proverb, tread on a worm and it will turn, meaning that the lowliest individual will resent being treated badly. It appeared in John Heywood’s 1546 proverb collection and was repeated by Shakespeare. Robert Browning used it in Mr. Sludge (1864): “Tread on a worm, it turns, sir! If I turn, Your fault!”
See also: worm
The Dictionary of Clichés by Christine Ammer
See also:
  • worm turns, the
  • (even) a worm will turn
  • a worm will turn
  • Even a worm will turn
  • the worm (has) turned
  • the worm has turned
  • worm turned
  • be a snap
  • it's a snap
  • Snap to it!
References in classic literature
You've made a poor sort of creature of me, but even the worm turns, you know.
The Vanished Messenger
For a moment the worm turned. Barrington rose to his feet, and with a deep flush upon his cheeks moved towards the door.
The Malefactor
Da Souza did hear it, and the worm turned. He sat down in the most comfortable easy-chair, and addressed Trent directly.
A Millionaire of Yesterday
Lindsay Girvan How the worm turns. Aussies shouldn't have been in the final.
Australian media criticises Nigel Owens after the Rugby World Cup final on Saturday; WEBCHAT
The worm turns, as we know it will -- Lily James, a likeable Cinders, brings down the house with her dignified "You never have been, and never will be, my mother!" -- and the happy ending is properly heartwarming.
Film review: Cinderella **
Among his recent compositions are Nerdwell: From Clod to King and As the Worm Turns, both chamber operas; and Psalm 121, for choir and published by Concordia Press.
Tom Ediger
Yet when the worm turns, and it is turning, our sycophant colleagues and their hip theologians will discover that the leftwing friends they have been ardently courting will abandon them.
The duty to defend
Being the aggressor is not an emblem of strength but a sign of insecurity and a fear of what will happen when the worm turns.
Let USA go it alone in war; FEEDBACK
It's something the young TV performers will carry with them whichever way the worm turns. Houchins thinks he may ultimately have a career in the medical field.
Beyond `Wacky'; Young cast from WCCA children's show graduates to edgier `Worm City'
IN PS 645 (AUG 06), WE RAN AN ARTICLE ON WOOD PACKAGING MATERIALS (WPM) CALLED "AS THE WORM TURNS."
Worm wars: episode II the little buggers strike back
It is always a surprise when the worm turns. It was a surprise when a popular insurrection began in Egypt, even though we all knew that change had to come some day.
Why the North doesn't change
As he tries to find his way in New York and makes his first tentative steps onto the stage, his jealousy of Guy, who keeps turning up like a bad penny, festers with his rival seemingly getting the upper hand professionally and personally, until the worm turns.
Books
If you are in the public eye and lap up the good publicity, then tough luck when the worm turns.
We won't miss moaning Miller
ISSUE: How quickly the worm turns! A home health nurse who was repeatedly stabbed while in the course of her employment was the object of sympathy by her employer who admitted that she was victimized in the course of her employment.
Home health nurse repeatedly stabbed: issue re total disability
* The story, "The Worm turns" on page 14 is by Roland Klose, who was managing editor of the Riverfront Times from shortly after New Times bought the paper from Ray Hartmann in 1998 until 2003.
Repairing some shortcomings of local reports