about-turn
verbEtymology From the imperative phrase used in the military.
1
To turn 180 degrees, typically in a military formation.
- Synonyms
- about-face
about-turn
nounUS /əˈbaʊt tɚn/
Etymology From the imperative phrase used in the military.
1
Government, Military, Politics, War UK A turn of 180 degrees, typically in a military formation .
2
Total reversal of opinion or attitude .
- A sell-out crowd of 10,000 then observed perfectly a period of silence before the team revealed their black armbands, complete with stitched-in poppies, for the match. After Fifa’s about-turn, it must have been a frantic few days for the England kit manufacturer. The on-field challenge was altogether more straightforward.2011 November 10, Jeremy Wilson, “England Under 21 5 Iceland Under 21 0: match report”, in Telegraph:
- When Francis visited Chile in 2018, he dismissed the protesters and accused them of “calumny” in the full gaze of the world’s press. It caused the head of the Vatican’s own sex abuse commission to rebuke his boss publicly. Back in Rome, Francis responded by dispatching an envoy to look into the case. When his report came back siding with the protesters, Francis did a swift about-turn and described what he said on his visit to Chile as “the lowest moment” of his papacy.2025 April 21, Peter Stanford, “Pope Francis obituary”, in The Guardian: