英文阅读：彻底改变观点了？
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.
页:
[1]