turn on the table

English translation: put (someone) at an advantage against (attackers), putting the attackers at a disadvantage

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)
English term or phrase:turn the tables
Selected answer:put (someone) at an advantage against (attackers), putting the attackers at a disadvantage
Entered by: Hakki Ucar

05:55 Feb 19, 2019
    The asker opted for community grading. The question was closed on 2019-02-22 11:54:08 based on peer agreement (or, if there were too few peer comments, asker preference.)


English language (monolingual) [Non-PRO]
Tech/Engineering - Engineering (general)
English term or phrase: turn on the table
I could not be sure what exact meaning of "turn the table on" here ?
Can deception security tactics turn the tables on attackers?
Hakki Ucar
Türkiye
Local time: 17:35
put (someone) at an advantage against (attackers), putting the attackers at a disadvantage
Explanation:
This is an idiomatic expression, but it's not "turn on the table" but "turn the tables", followed by "on (someone)". "Turn the tables" (always plural, tables), means reverse a situation from one of disadvantage to one of advantage, and "on" really means "towards" or "against", and expresses the adversary who is now in a position of disadvantage.

"turn the tables
to reverse completely a situation as it affects two opposing persons or groups"
"If you turn the tables on someone, you change the situation completely, so that instead of them causing problems for you, you are causing problems for them.
The only question is whether the President can use his extraordinary political skills to turn the tables on his opponents."
https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/turn-th...

So it is asking whether these tactics would give an advantage to those who suffer an attack, so that the attackers would now be in difficulties: the defenders would themselves become attackers, and the attackers would be on the defensive.


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Note added at 1 hr (2019-02-19 07:38:18 GMT)
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I found this page, which may help you (I don't know Turkish so I've no idea whether the suggested translations are accurate):
https://tureng.com/en/turkish-english/turn the tables
Selected response from:

Charles Davis
Spain
Local time: 15:35
Grading comment
thanks
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



SUMMARY OF ALL EXPLANATIONS PROVIDED
4 +3put (someone) at an advantage against (attackers), putting the attackers at a disadvantage
Charles Davis


Discussion entries: 1





  

Answers


1 hr   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +3
put (someone) at an advantage against (attackers), putting the attackers at a disadvantage


Explanation:
This is an idiomatic expression, but it's not "turn on the table" but "turn the tables", followed by "on (someone)". "Turn the tables" (always plural, tables), means reverse a situation from one of disadvantage to one of advantage, and "on" really means "towards" or "against", and expresses the adversary who is now in a position of disadvantage.

"turn the tables
to reverse completely a situation as it affects two opposing persons or groups"
"If you turn the tables on someone, you change the situation completely, so that instead of them causing problems for you, you are causing problems for them.
The only question is whether the President can use his extraordinary political skills to turn the tables on his opponents."
https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/turn-th...

So it is asking whether these tactics would give an advantage to those who suffer an attack, so that the attackers would now be in difficulties: the defenders would themselves become attackers, and the attackers would be on the defensive.


--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 1 hr (2019-02-19 07:38:18 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

I found this page, which may help you (I don't know Turkish so I've no idea whether the suggested translations are accurate):
https://tureng.com/en/turkish-english/turn the tables

Charles Davis
Spain
Local time: 15:35
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 80
Grading comment
thanks
Notes to answerer
Asker: Tureng is correct in Turkish translation. thanks.


Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Daryo: reverse the situation - those who were in weaker position find themselves in stronger position. (not necessarily "attacking" but able to take control / dictate terms / no longer be defenceless etc)
14 mins
  -> Thanks, Daryo. Yes, that's right.

agree  Björn Vrooman: Related (upper hand): https://www.forbes.com/sites/danwoods/2018/06/22/how-decepti... Deception security places decoys like mousetraps.
34 mins
  -> Thanks, Björn! So that's how they do it.

agree  Jörgen Slet
5 hrs
  -> Thanks, Jörgen!
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