When to Use ‘On the Flip Side’: Meaning and Examples

‘On the flip side’ is one of those English expressions you like right away. At least it was like that for me. Once I heard it I was eager to find out more about it and start using it.

So, what exactly does it mean? ‘On the flip side’ is a synonym for ‘on the other hand’. Basically, it’s a way to describe the other side of something: situation, experience, offer.

For instance:

– I’ll have to work really long hours and be away from my family, but, on the flip side, I’ll get the opportunity to travel around the world.

– I felt bored and disconnected because there was no internet there. On the flip side, I was able to connect with nature and clear my mind.

– The Lancet estimates that 20 million lives have been saved because of vaccines. On the flip side, hundreds of millions of people remain unvaccinated, which means they are more vulnerable to future waves of the virus.

We can easily replace ‘on the flip side’ with ‘on the other hand’. For instance:

– I’ll have to work really long hours and be away from my family, but, on the other hand, I’ll get the opportunity to travel around the world.

‘Flip’: meaning

Depending on the context, the word ‘flip’ could be a noun, an adjective, or a verb.

As a verb it means to turn something over quickly one or more times. For instance, you can flip the book over to look at the back cover.

You can also flip burgers (or some other food) at a barbecue until both sides of it are cooked.

Flip as a noun means the process of flipping something. The most common example is when you toss a coin. You can also say ‘to flip a coin’.

There’s also another expression that includes ‘flip’ and ‘coin’ – the flip side of the coin. That means a different way of looking at or thinking about a situation.

• The economy is improving, but the flip side of the coin is that inflation is becoming a bigger problem.
• The flip side of the coin of having rights is responsibilities.

There are some variations of this expression. You can use ‘other’ or ‘opposite’ instead of ‘flip’ – ‘the opposite side’ or ‘the other side of the coin’.

[And you probably heard the expression ‘two sides of the same coin’ that people use when they want to say that there are different ways of looking at or dealing with the same situation.]

Flip side: meaning

Finally, ‘flip side’ is another expression with ‘flip’ and ‘side’ that means the opposite, less good, or less popular side of something.

Here’s an example sentence.

• We’re now starting to see the flip side of the government’s economic policy.

Let’s recap:

– on the flip side – on the other hand

– the flip side of the coin – different side of a situation

– flip side – the opposite or less good side of something

Now, whenever you want to describe another angle of a situation or experience, you can begin with the phrase ‘on the flip side’.

‘Catch You on the Flip Side’: Meaning

‘See you on the flip side’ or ‘catch your on the flip side’ are informal ways to say ‘see you later’ or ‘talk to you soon’.

According to the Urban Dictionary, the expression originates from the initial meaning of a ‘flip side’ which is a reverse side of a vinyl record. So, radio DJs might say “I’ll catch you on the flip side” meaning they will let a particular album play through, and won’t start talking again until they have to change or flip records.

It’s kinda cool story if you ask me but to use this informal expression is probably not a very good idea. It’s not that common yet and people might not understand what you mean.

Now, take the one that is more frequent – ‘on the flip side’ – make your own sentence and share it in the comments! Looking forward to hearing from you.

You can find more words and vocabulary quizzes here.

Additional resources:

More Meanings of ‘Flip’

‘Catch you on the flip side’ in the Urban Dictionary

‘On the flip side’: Examples on Youglish

Vika

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