Sunday Word: Volte-face

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volte-face [ivolt-fahs, vohlt-; French vawltuh-fas]

noun:
1 a reversal, as in opinion or policy
2 a change of position so as to look, lie, etc, in the opposite direction

Examples:

This eventually culminates in some of its absolute biggest emotional beats relying on a major plot hole, and a volte-face that’s clearly angling for a cheer but is simply too far a turn to be believed. (Huw Saunders, Everyone Else Burns: Season 1 Review - Sitcomageddon, Culture Vultures, January 2023)

The following two decades saw her performing a volte-face by repudiating organized religion and instead devoting herself to fighting social inequality or rallying against the Vietnam War. (Malcolm Forbes, 'Nothing Stays Put' Review: Amy Clampitt, Late Bloomer, The Wall Street Journal, February 2023)

Earlier, the Railways had agreed to elevate the track and survey work had also been started. However, in a volte-face, the department has permanently shelved the suggestion. ('Generous to core': Sidhu Moosewala's teachers, friends remember him, The Tribune, January 2022)

She and I had been extremely close for more than a year, and there had been no warning of this volte-face. I was bewildered. (Zoë Heller, What Was She Thinking? Notes on a Scandal)

Origin:

a reversal of opinion, 1819, French (17c), from Italian volta faccia, literally 'turn face,' from volta, imperative of voltare 'to turn' (from Vulgar Latin volvita, from Latin volvere 'to roll,' from PIE root wel- 'to turn, revolve') + faccia (face). (Online Etymology Dictionary)

Volte-face came to English by way of French from Italian voltafaccia, a combination of voltare, meaning 'to turn,' and faccia, 'face.' It has existed as an English noun since at least 1819. The corresponding English phrase 'about face' saw use in a number of forms in the decades before that, including military commands such as 'right about face' (that is, to turn 180 degrees to the right so as to face in the opposite direction); nevertheless, the standalone noun about-face (as in 'After declining, he did an abrupt about-face and accepted the offer') is about as old as volte-face. Although foot soldiers have been stepping smartly to the command 'About face! Forward march!' for centuries, about-face didn't appear in print as a figurative noun meaning 'a reversal of attitude, behavior, or point of view' until the mid-1800s.(Merriam-Webster)