used to describe when a person or group of people who have been treated badly for a long time suddenly become forceful and stop accepting a difficult situation

It seems the worm has turned - after years of silence local people are beginning to protest about waste emissions from the factory. 看来老实人被逼急了也要反抗——经过多年的沉默之后，当地的人们开始抗议那家工厂的废物排放了。