right about face

or right·a·bout-face, right-a·bout-face

[rahyt-uh-boht-feys]

noun

Military.
1. a command, given to a soldier or soldiers at attention, to turn the body about toward the right so as to face in the opposite direction.
2. the act of so turning in a prescribed military manner.
rightabout(def 2).
any complete reversal, as of conduct or opinion.

Origin of right about face

First recorded in 1805–15

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for right about face

Historical Examples of right about face

Now, what is the reason of this right-about-face on the part of the poet?
The Man Shakespeare
Frank Harris
It had shocked him from his orbit and set him to the right-about-face.
Satan Sanderson
Hallie Erminie Rives
It was like being dismissed from parade; a right-about-face, march!
Raw Gold
Bertrand W. Sinclair
The editor of the Globe made a right-about-face—repudiating us.
Tramping on Life
Harry Kemp
The general-aide-de-camp executed a right-about-face, like a soldier on parade; the Prince still smiled.
Library Of The World's Best Literature, Ancient And Modern, Vol 4
Charles Dudley Warner