Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

turn a hair

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.88 in modern English

Syllables: turn a hair
IPA

12

Scrabble Score

9

Letters

1

Syllables

7

Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

To show fear, alarm or distress; to be affected (by an experience or situation).

Example Sentences

"If in some hideous dissecting-room or fetid laboratory you found this man lying on a leaden table with red gutters scooped out in it, you would simply look upon him as an admirable subject. You would not turn a hair."
"[…] those seasoned topers who drank their companions under the table without themselves turning a hair […]"
"[…] they all went into a shop that Jennifer alone would never have dreamed of entering, and looked at watches; finally Jane bought a gold self-winding wrist-watch for her husband for ninety-two guineas, and never turned a hair."

Inflected Forms

turns a hair (present, singular) turning a hair (participle, present) turned a hair (participle, past) turned a hair (past)

Phrases

bat an eyelid to the turn of a hair

Frequently Paired Words

bat an eyelid to the turn of a hair

Questions

What does turn a hair mean?: To show fear, alarm or distress; to be affected (by an experience or situation).

How to pronounce turn a hair

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “turn a hair”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling () so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “turn a hair”.
Repeat and practice — Say “turn a hair” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.