О-50

ПОВОРАЧИВАТЬ/ПОВЕРНУТЬ

ПОВОРОТИТЬ) ОГЛОБЛИ (НАЗАД) highly coll

VP subj: human

1. rude when addressed to the interlocutor to set off back i n the direction from which one came, leave some place ( usu. with the implication that one has failed, or is about to fail, to accomplish what one set out to do)

X повернул оглобли - X went back (where he came from)

X (gave it up and) turned back X turned back empty-handed (in limited contexts) X turned tail.

(Подхалюзин:) А то вон, что сватался за Алимпияду Сам-соновну, благородный-то, - и оглобли назад поворотил (Островский 10). (Р:) As for that noble's courting Olimpiada Samsonovna-why he's turned tail already (10b).

2. often disapprov to retreat from one's former position, renounce one's former convictions, go back on one's promise(s) etc: X повернул оглобли - X did (made) an about-face

X back-pedaled X changed his tune.