Table turn

Origin

The imagery behind "the tables turn" is surprisingly literal, rooted in the very structure of medieval and early modern games, particularly board games like chess or backgammon. Imagine two players hunched over a wooden table, their pieces meticulously arranged. When one player was decisively winning, they held the "upper hand"—a phrase also drawn from this era of competitive games. But sometimes, through a stroke of genius, a lucky draw, or a sudden change in strategy, the tide would shift. The winning player would suddenly find themselves on the defensive, their advantage gone, as if the entire board—the "table" itself—had physically spun around, placing them in the disadvantaged position and their opponent in control. This vivid, physical metaphor for a reversal of fortune was captured in common parlance by the 17th century, embodying the thrilling unpredictability of contests where dominance could vanish in an instant.