noun
flipping a table over in anger; overturning a table in a fit of rage
Refers to the dramatic act of upending a low dining table (ちゃぶ台) in anger, often as a stereotypical gesture of a father's outburst in family settings. Also used figuratively for a sudden, forceful rejection or reset of a situation.
See also: ちゃぶ台
父は怒ってちゃぶ台返しをした。
My father got angry and flipped the table over.
彼の一言が会議のちゃぶ台返しになった。
His single remark turned the meeting on its head.
ちゃぶ台 is the low dining table itself; ちゃぶ台返し is the act of flipping it over.
Compound of ちゃぶ台 (chabudai, 'low dining table') and 返し (gaeshi, 'turning over'). The exact origin of the phrase is uncertain, but it is associated with a stereotypical image of an angry father figure in Japanese domestic comedy and drama.