Reader question:

In this passage – President Hugo Chavez of Venezuela is a man known for his surprising and often headline grabbing announcements but this latest one is extraordinary even by his standards. He's called on the left-wing Colombian FARC rebels to lay down their arms and release their hostages. It amounts to an all-out about-face in policy for the man who, only a few months ago, called on Colombia and the international community to stop branding the group a terrorist organization and instead recognize the FARC as a legitimate rebel army (BBC, June 9, 2008) – what does "about face" mean?

My comments:

About-face is not about the face, as in "losing face".

An about-face instead means a 180-degree change from the position of attention, hence in President Chavez's case a complete change in policy.

About-face is the same as about-turn, both originally a military term for turning around. If you look "face" up in the dictionary, you'll see one of its meanings as "be opposite". For example: They stood facing each other for a few minutes (Longman), meaning they stood opposite each other face-to-face, eye-to-eye.

My bedroom faces north, meaning that, well, I don't get any sun during the day if I get to stay in bed – not that I mind because I don't get to stay in bed during the day anyway.

Anyways, it is perhaps from "face" being "be opposite" that in the army, when a commander calls his men to turn around he shouts: "About face!" or "About turn!"

The terms are nowadays used everywhere of course to mark a total turn or change in position, direction, policy. Naturally, "about-face" and "about-turn" are the same as "turnabout", as in "a turnabout in public opinion", or "turnaround", as in "a turnaround in fortune".

Here are examples:

1. about-face (change in policy):

Central bank chiefs, including those in Britain, the euro zone and Canada, may follow the U.S. Federal Reserve chairman, Ben Bernanke, in an about-face, shifting toward supporting economic growth and away from fighting inflation.

- In an about-face, central banks may start cutting rates, International Herald Tribune, October 1, 2007.

2. about-turn (change in policy):

A headline: In about turn, Bush signs climate change bill

- The Guardian, December 20, 2007.

3. turn about (move the body to face another direction):

The short gentleman turned about towards Carrie, and she arose and came forward.

- Sister Carire, Theodore Dreiser.

4. turnabout (change of position):

In a major diplomatic defeat for the US, Britain broke ranks Wednesday and joined more than 100 nations in agreeing in principle to an international ban on cluster bombs, the small, insidious weapons that have killed thousands of civilians in the aftermath of battle...

Advocates of the ban said Britain's turnabout Wednesday broke open the doors and led to several other nations' dropping significant objections to the agreement.

- British turnabout key to cluster bomb ban, Los Angeles Times, May 29, 2008.

5. turn around (change for the better):

Another headline: Economy has turned around, but look for yellow flags (USA Today.com, February 1, 2004).

6. turnaround (change of fortune):

Swiss No. 1 Roger Federer in his bid to get over his humiliating defeat in the French Open final has flown to Halle and is hoping for aturnaround in the run-up to the third Grand Slam of the year – Wimbledon.

- Federer hopes for a turnaround in Halle, yahoo.com, June 11, 2008.