turn of the century

the turn of the century

At or near the end of one century and the beginning of another. At the turn of the 20th century, the introduction of factory electrification caused a huge boom in manufacturing. Scientists predict we won't see artificial intelligence that sophisticated until the turn of the century.
See also: century, of, turn
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

turn of the century

the time when the year changes to one with two final zeros, such as from 1899 to 1900. (Although technically incorrect-a new century begins with the year ending in 01—most people ignore this.) My family moved to America at the turn of the century. My uncle was born before the turn of the last century.
See also: century, of, turn
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs.

turn of the century

The beginning or end of a particular century, as in That idiom dates from the turn of the century, that is to say, about 1900. This expression was first recorded in 1926.
See also: century, of, turn
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.

the ˌturn of the ˈcentury/ˈyear

the time when a new century/year starts: He was born around the turn of the century.
See also: century, of, turn, year
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary
See also:
  • the turn of the century
  • the turn of the century/year
  • fin de siècle
  • last-ditch defense/effort
  • century
  • century note
  • what do you know, (well)
  • hard/tough act to follow
  • dream team
  • a London particular
References in periodicals archive
Children were the most exploited workers at the turn of the century. Child labor was legal in 1900, and more than 250,000 children under the age of 15 worked in factories.
The turn of the century marked a changing of the guard at Zurich, as Heinrich Mueller, the general manager and a key architect of Zurich's early growth, stepped aside and brought in Fritz Meyer as his successor.
Moreover, companies should plan to finish the work with a comfortable cushion of one glitch-free year before the turn of the century.
At the turn of the century social provision was locally financed and locally administered.
She concludes with an essay on "Tsarist Russia's dream factories," silent motion pictures which arrived around the turn of the century. McReynolds ascribes special importance to motion pictures because they represent "modernity's consummate blend of industrial technology and personal experience," (253) and because they "bestow omniscience and intimacy concurrently" upon the spectator, thus enormously enhancing both impact and the potential for identification with the screen action.
By his own count, attendance is up since the turn of the century. Millions continue to visit the same battlefield their forbears did, even with countless other attractions competing for their attention and dollars.
This highly praised book (a School Library Journal Best Book, etc.) provides a vivid look at child labor issues from the mid 1800s through the turn of the century. Each of the eight chapters tells an exciting story of early industrial struggle for workers' rights, from the Massachusetts mills and Pennsylvania coal mines to the New York newsie strike and Mother Jones.
In her second book, Domestic Allegories of Political Desire: The Black Heroine's Text at the Turn of the Century (1992), Tate turned her attention to the domestic fiction of African-American women in the post-Reconstruction era.
The area was previously mined for copper and nickel around the turn of the century.
Turn of the Century Voodoo practitioners such as Doctor John, Marie LaVeau and Mammy Pleasant have a special place in my reference library right next to Chaucer, Milton and Shakespeare.
Germans and Poles especially had begun to demand equality of representation within the hierarchy by the turn of the century, and many Italians expressed alienation by following folk practices and generally ignoring the official cult.
Honoring this intriguing, almost magical number and linking it to this recent turn of the century, various lists of the best 100 books of these past 100 years have emerged.
At the turn of the century, misled conservationists would have had us forego the joys of a Christmas tree.
Like about now, for example, at the turn of the century.
The rise of educational missions offered Southern Baptist women a great opportunity in China at the turn of the century. Historically speaking, the most common public profession for women was to become teachers especially at the primary and secondary levels.