🚗 A sharp car turn 🔄 A sudden reversal

handbrake turn

6.8

A driving move where the driver pulls the handbrake so the rear wheels slide and the car turns sharply

noun

: giro de mano

Learning how to do a handbrake turn is a common part of advanced driving courses.

Examples

The movie stunt required a precise handbrake turn at high speed.
He skillfully executed a handbrake turn to avoid the obstacle in the road.
Wow! That was an incredible handbrake turn!
He performed a perfect handbrake turn at the intersection.
During the race, she demonstrated her skills by executing a flawless handbrake turn around the tight corner.
Instructors often teach students how to perform a handbrake turn to improve their control in slippery conditions.
To navigate the sharp bend quickly, he relied on the handbrake turn to slide through with precision.

How Sharp

spin

104 1.1

handbrake turn

6.8

turn

485 1.0

to curve

22 2.8

to drift

331 2.9

Surface Forms

handbrake turn singular

handbrake turns plural

Morphology

handbrake + turn

If a learner knows 'handbrake' (a brake operated by hand) and 'turn' (a change of direction), they can picture a sudden sharp change caused by using the handbrake, so the literal driving sense is inferable. However, the extension to plans, policy or behaviour is a metaphorical transfer that may not be fully predictable for a B1 learner without context, so the expression is only partially transparent.

Etymology

Handbrake turn comes from driving: the driver pulls the handbrake, making the back wheels slide so the car spins in a quick turn. That's why it means 'a driving move where a car pivots sharply to change direction'.