English

Verb

turn the scale

1. (idiomatic) To turn to one side a balanced situation.
   • 1919, W. Somerset Maugham, The Moon and Sixpence, ch. 1

     Perhaps Charles Strickland's power and originality would scarcely have sufficed to turn the scale if the remarkable mythopoeic faculty of mankind had not brushed aside with impatience a story which disappointed all its craving for the extraordinary.

Derived terms

• turn the scales at

Synonyms

• tip the scales