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 legitimate¹ 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 Herald² Tribune, October 1, 2007.

2. about-turn (change in policy):

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

- The Guardian³, 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, insidious⁴ weapons that have killed thousands of civilians⁵ 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.