情景对话：

A: Tom, why did you turn tail when you saw me after school?

汤姆，放学后你为什么一看见我就掉头跑掉了？

B: I'm sorry, mum. I just wanted...

对不起，妈妈，我只是想……

A : Wwhat?

想什么？

B: I just wanted to play and i did not want to do my homework early.

我只是想玩玩，不想太早做作业。

词海拾贝:

turn tail

exp. To run away or flee, usually in fear.（躲开，逃跑，掉头拔腿就跑）

The burglars turned tail at the sound of our security alarm.

窃贼一听到我们的安全警报就掉头就跑。

e.g. I couldn't just turn tail and run but I wasn't going to fight that monster, either.

窃贼一听到我们的安全警报就掉转头来。

e.g. Sometimes turning tail is the only sensible thing to do.

有时掉头逃跑是唯一明智的做法。