heel turn

Noun

heel turn (plural heel turns)

1. A ballroom dancing move in which the dancer steps backwards, shifts their weight on to the back foot, and turns on the heel of that foot while holding the other foot close and parallel to it.
   • The lady's step would then need to be drastically foreshortened, and would degenerate into a heel turn—not infrequent with beginners.1951, Dancing Times, London: Dancing Times, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 235, column 2
   • A second later, all I could think of was following Dad through the complex pattern of heel turns, weaves, spins and sweeping movements across the floor.1996, Nicole Davidson, Dying to Dance (Avon Flare YA Horror), New York, N.Y.: Avon Books, →ISBN, page 69
2. A turn executed by shifting weight on to the heel(s).
   • Undoubtedly my old diagram was wrong in omitting to show cusps for the heel turns: […]1880, George Anderson, “Instructions in Skating. Movements Performed on Both Feet.”, in The Art of Skating; […], 4th edition, London: Horace Cox, […], →OCLC, page 38
   • Turn D, from outside backwards to inside forwards. This is also a heel turn, but is not so difficult as turn B; a considerable amount of practice, however, will be required before the skater will be able to do it with ease.1894, Douglas Adams, “The Simple Turns”, in Skating. […] (The All-England Series), London; New York, N.Y.: George Bell & Sons, […], →OCLC, page 26
3. (broadly) An act of turning around abruptly, especially so that one faces the opposite direction.
   • And on he strode into the opposite dark / Till presently the harsh heel's turn, a spark / I' the stone,[…][1840 March, Robert Browning, “Book the Fifth”, in Sordello, London: Edward Moxon, […], →OCLC, page 212
   • "This gentleman may help you," he repeated, with his wooden hand wave and his usual rotund heel turn, which transported him indoors.1908, Winefride Trafford-Taunton, chapter XII, in The Threshold, London: John Long […], →OCLC, 1st part (The Clay Creatures), page 93
   1. (broadly, figuratively) A radical change (of mind, opinion, etc.).
4. A situation in which a wrestler previously identified as a hero changes to being considered a villain
   • As a result of the heel turn, [Riki] Choshu was instantly elevated as a headliner and feuded with [Tatsumi] Fujinami in main events for two years over the WWF [World Wrestling Federation] International Heavyweight strap.2002, John F. Molinaro, edited by Jeff Marek and Dave Meltzer, Top 100 Pro Wrestlers of All Time, Toronto, Ont.: Winding Stair Press, →ISBN, page 78, column 1
   • The early 1999 destruction of [Ric] Flair in storyline fashion, even as Flair and Hulk Hogan were drawing the last of the company's great buy rates (although Flair's heel turn after drawing the last big buy rate for a SuperBrawl in San Francisco was Flair's own doing) was not a bunch of angles that...2004, Dave Meltzer, editor, Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Campbell, Calif.: Wrestling Observer Newsletter, page 1, column 2

   Antonyms:

   face turn

   1. (broadly) A situation in which someone changes from being a hero into a villain.
      • More than any other episode to date, “The Last Of The Starks” heralds Daenerys’ heel turn. She’s been poised for it for some time, though the timing varies depending on the character perspective—Varys has always been ready to fly to another camp if he felt something was amiss or he just found a...2019 May 5, Danette Chavez, “Campaigns are Waged On and Off the Game Of Thrones Battlefield (Newbies)”, in The A.V. Club, archived from the original on 28 Jan 2021