“About face” is an English idiom meaning a sudden change in plans or direction. It originated in the military and is used in the English army. Similar expressions exist in Italian and French. Learning idioms can be difficult for second language learners, but they are important for proficiency in English.
“About face” is an English idiom meaning a sudden and complete change in one’s plans, ideas and actions. It is also used to mean a complete turn of direction in a physical sense as in someone who is walking north suddenly turns direction and starts walking south. Someone who has turned and faced another direction is said to have made a “complete face”. The origin of the expression is not certain but it probably entered into common use based on its meaning in the military sphere.
The expression is used in the English army. When the drill sergeant yells “face,” soldiers know to turn on their heels and face in the opposite direction. One of the earliest mentions of the expression that has been found is in a book called Practical Observations on the Art of War written in 1711 by an English soldier named Major William Young. In it, Young explains the meaning of commands including that of “right around the face.” “About” means looking in the opposite direction. A synonym for the term is “breakthrough”.
There is a similar expression in Italian and French. In Italian, “voltaaccia” is translated with the meaning of “volgere” from the verb “voltare” and “face” from “face”. The expression is used to describe a turnaround especially when referring to a reversal of opinion or policy. “Volta face” is the word in French.
An idiom is a phrase that has a different meaning from the normal meaning of the words that compose it. “About”, for example, as a preposition means or connected with and as an adverb it means close, almost or near. “Face” in its most common usage means the front of the head. When used as a verb, it means to look towards something or to confront something.
Learning idioms can be very difficult for second language learners. The English language has thousands of such expressions and this is one of the aspects that makes it difficult to learn. “About the face,” when considered logically, should mean “connected to the front of the head.” The usual rules of compositional semantics do not apply, and while some idioms can be understood by looking at the components separately, others make no sense at all. Using idioms with ease is the hallmark of a native speaker and therefore speakers of English as a second language are obliged to learn them if they wish to be proficient.
Protect your devices with Threat Protection by NordVPN
