Being derived from these, 'donden gaeshi' has become a kind of idiom and is used as an expression for instantaneous reversal, and is applied as 'donden gaeshi de maku-ni-naru' (to finish with a surprise ending) which is a peripeteia coming as a surprise to the audience, as 'donden gaeshi no ketsumatsu' (surprise ending) in novels, as 'donden gaeshi no gyakuten-three-run' (turning defeat into victory with a come-from-behind three-run homer) in a baseball game, and as others.
これらのことから転じて、慣用句として用いられる「どんでん返し」は、瞬間的な逆転を指す表現として用いられ、観客の側からは意外性のある「どんでん返しで幕になる」ストーリ展開の状態や、小説では「どんでん返しの結末」、「どんでん返しの逆転スリーラン」等々の用いられ方をする。