Word of the Day for Wednesday July 27, 2005 volte-face \vawlt-FAHS; vawl-tuh-\, noun: An about-face; a reversal, as in policy or opinion. I was eventually eased out of the organisation, but not before British policy had performed a volte-face on Cyprus, the colony had gained independence, and yesterday's political wisdoms had suddenly been repudiated. --George Urban, Radio Free Europe and the Pursuit of Democracy In a sudden volte-face, he seemed to accept the agreement; then, when the besieged forces came out to embark, he had their barges held in port. --Richard Eder, "Just Wild About Horatio," [1]New York Times, November 7, 1999 [S]uddenly confronted with the imminent ruin of Angela Lyne, his former mistress, who is drinking herself to death out of loneliness, he does the first real volte-face of his life by returning to her. --L.E. Sissman, "Evelyn Waugh: The Height of His Powers," [2]The Atlantic, March 1972 _________________________________________________________ Volte-face comes from French, from Italian voltafaccia, from volta, "turn" + faccia, "face." References 1. http://www.nytimes.com/ 2. http://www.theatlantic.com/ Dictionary.com Entry and Pronunciation http://dictionary.reference.com/search?r=9&q=volte-face