On the Flip Side

A New York City listener wonders about the origin and literal meaning of the phrase catch you on the flip side. It’s a reference to the B side of vinyl records. It was popularized as part of truckers’ CB lingo in the 1970s. This is part of a complete episode.

Leave a comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

2 comments
  • As Snagglepuss once said, ca. 1959: “That turns my record over! Like, on the _flip_ side!” It’s a reference to the B side of _any_ record and especially the B side of 78-rpm records. These records were rarely over three minutes long on a side and flipping the record over to its B side in order to hear the rest of the story and/or music was often necessary, as in the case of the multi-record albums, _A Christmas Carol_ and _Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs_, e.g. in the case of the latter, “I’m Wishing” and “One Song” on one side, “Dwarfs’ Yodel Song” on the flip side. The use of “flip side” was popularized by the disk-jockeys, such as DDT (Darrell “Downbeat” Turner), of the Post-War – i.e. WWII – era.

  • Just discovered “A Way with Words” after searching for a resource for my students (in Korea) about “on the flip side.” I’m always looking for authentic materials to share with them. Your podcasts are a great find! Thanks for the work you do!

More from this show

Boodle on Beaver Island

A resident of Michigan’s scenic Beaver Island shares the term, boodling, which the locals use to denote the social activity of leisurely wandering the island, often with cold fermented beverages. There have been various proposed etymologies...