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Glite Dictionary
to bang a uey

to bang a uey

9.9
To turn a car quickly to go back the other way
  • phrasal verb
  • /bæŋ ə ˈjuːi/
  • Australian
translation icon : dar la vuelta en U
  • She realized she was headed the wrong way and quickly banged a uey.

Examples

  • He decided to bang a uey at the next intersection.

  • Don't bang a uey here!

  • I missed the exit, so I had to bang a uey at the first intersection.

  • The police officer signaled for him to bang a uey right there.

  • I missed the exit, so I had to bang a uey at the first intersection.

  • She realized she was headed the wrong way and quickly banged a uey.

  • The police officer signaled for him to bang a uey right there.

Synonyms

to execute a U-turn
vsto bang a uey
3.5

Turn a vehicle in a U shape to go the other way

happens suddenly or abruptly rather than being a regular full turn

Antonyms

to keep going
357 1.6

To continue doing something without stopping

How Abrupt

to bang a uey
  • Australian
9.9
to turn around
384 2.0

Surface Forms

bang a uey infinitive
banged a uey past
banged a uey past participle
bang a ueying present participle
bangs a uey third person singular

Morphology

bang + a + uey

This is informal Australian slang where 'uey' (from 'U‑turn') names the maneuver and 'bang' contributes a sense of force or suddenness; if a learner recognises 'uey' as a U‑turn the overall meaning ('make a sudden U‑turn') is reasonably inferable. However, 'uey' is nonstandard spelling/slang and 'bang' does not literally mean 'make a turn', so understanding depends on prior exposure to the colloquial form, making it only partially transparent.

Etymology

The phrasal verb bang a uey comes from a driving image: imagine a quick, sharp bang as a car swings around into a uey meaning 'a U-shaped turn'. So to bang a uey means 'to make a sudden U-turn'.