About-turn
Origin
From the imperative phrase used in the military.
Full definition of about-turn
Noun
about-turn
(plural about-turns)- A turn of 180 degrees, typically in a military formation.
- Total reversal of opinion or attitude.
- 2011, November 10, Jeremy Wilson, England Under 21 5 Iceland Under 21 0: match report, 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.
Verb
- (intransitive) To turn 180 degrees, typically in a military formation.