right-about-face

English

Noun

right-about-face (plural right-about-faces)

1. Synonym of about-face
   • 1937 July 6, The New York Times, “Canadian Shares Rise in Late Spurt”, in The New York Times‎^[1], New York, N.Y.: The New York Times Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2023-05-18:

     The Toronto share market staged a right-about face in the last hour today and advanced in active trading after four hours of dullness and small sales.

Verb

right-about-face (third-person singular simple present right-about-faces, present participle right-about-facing, simple past and past participle right-about-faced)

1. Synonym of about-face
   • 1930, Henri Barbusse, “On Leave”, in Great First World War Stories, London: Chancellor Press, published 1994, →ISBN, page 470:

     So we right-about-faced and started back again, stumbling as if we were boozed, slipping, puffing, splashing, and bespattering ourselves. One of the boys cried to me through the wind and rain: 'We'll go back with you as far as your home, all the same. As we've nowhere to go we've plenty of time.'

Adverb

right-about-face (comparative more right-about-face, superlative most right-about-face)

1. Synonym of about-face
   • 1958, Pierre Berton, Klondike: The Life and Death of the Last Great Gold Rush, London: W. H. Allen, published 1960, pages 210–211:

     The urge to reach the Klondike had become a habit more than an obsession, and when at last on June 30 they walked glumly down the gangplank at Dawson most of them turned right-about-face and went home again.

References

• “right-about-face”, in Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster, 1996–present.
• “right-about-face, v.”, in OED Online ⁠, Oxford, Oxfordshire: Oxford University Press, launched 2000.
• “right-about-face, adv. and n.”, in OED Online ⁠, Oxford, Oxfordshire: Oxford University Press, launched 2000.