turnbacks

Noun

turnback (countable and uncountable, plural turnbacks)

1. (attributive) Part of a garment that is turned back.
2. The turning back of a weaver around another element.
   • Most basketmakers make their turnbacks in a particular section of the weaving on the sides or in the middle of the basket.1991, Rachel Nash Law, Cynthia Wieboldt Taylor, Appalachian White Oak Basketmaking: Handing Down the Basket, page 86
3. The act of turning back a boat containing immigrants.
   • The information commissioner, Professor John McMillan, ruled that requests for watch officer logs and authorisations for turnbacks were exempt from release because they could have a “substantial adverse effect” on the Australian Customs and Border Protection Service (ACBPS).2015 July 20, Paul Farrell, “Details about asylum seeker turnbacks to remain secret, commissioner rules”, in The Guardian
4. The strap from the hames to the hip-strap, on a horse.
5. A place, e.g. on a railway, where vehicles can reverse direction, i.e. turn back.
   • Removal of one set of train turnbacks also makes more efficient use of infrastructure and reduces peak loads at interchange stations.2023 June 14, David Clough, “Tram-trains are making tracks...”, in RAIL, number 985, page 54
6. (US) A cadet at a military academy who fails a class and has to retake it.