ke belakang pusing
/kəˈblɑkɑŋ ˌpuseŋ/
Word Rarity
Very rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 0.00 in modern English
30
Scrabble Score
16
Letters
5
Syllables
11
Unique Chars
Meaning
verb
To make an about-turn; more precisely, to turn 180 degrees clockwise, then stomp one’s left foot.
verb
To turn around and retrace one’s steps (e.g., when one has lost their way or gone in the wrong direction); to turn around and run away (e.g., from a problematic situation).
Humorous; Informal
noun
A 180° turn; an about-turn.
Example Sentences
- "He did not even get the chance to step foot on Singapore soil before he was duly told to ‘ke belakang pusing’ (translated to U-turn, in English) back to Batam at Tanah Merah Ferry Terminal."
- "Have you ever attempted a ke-belakang pusing (about-turn) on the move with your feet apart? That day, my knee caps stabbed two soldiers in their kidneys."
Etymology
Unadapted borrowing from Malay ke belakang pusing, a military drill command used in the Singapore Armed Forces, meaning to “turn and face the rear”, i.e., to turn 180 degrees and face the other way.