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.
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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!