英语阅读：Flip side
Reader question: What does the "flip side" of something mean?My comments: The flip side means the other side, the side that's often
ignored or simply unseen.
You can best understand the flip side by tossing (flipping) a coin in the
air. That is, you flip it – hit the coin at the edge with the thumb to send it
flying in the air – and you may see the other side. You see, there are two sides
to every coin, as there are two sides to everything else.
Or you flip a record from Side A to Side B – Side B will be the flip side.
DJs on radio talk constantly of "See you on the flip side" and that means "Talk
to you later (when I turn the record over to play the other side)". And since
songs placed on Side B are sometimes there to make up the number (meaning
they're not as good), the flip side of a record becomes synonymous with songs of
poorer quality.
For that matter, "flip side" in general points to the unfavorable aspect or
effect of something, especially if it's not readily observable. The flip side of
early success, for example, is that it may inflate a young person's ego to such
a degree that he may not be able to get over himself, which, sooner or later may
prove his downfall. Besides, people who have early success often find it harder
to handle adversity later in life, unlike it is for those who've been facing
lots of failures growing up. In short, early success may not be worth your
while.
The lesson? Succeed slowly. No hurry. Take you time and do it easy.
Alright, here are a few media examples of "the flip side" for you to mull
over:
1. Since it was introduced, the flat-screen TV has steadily made the
traditional tube TV seem obsolete.
…
LCD TVs look like flat-panel computer displays. The TVs have a backlight
and thousands of red, green and blue pixels that open or close to let light
through, creating colorful images…They are thin and light, can be wall-mounted
and the best can display bright, detailed images. On the flip side, most sets
can't display deepest black or distinguish subtle shades of gray and black, and
fast-moving images may blur.
- Buying A Flat-Screen TV, April 26, 2008, wsbtv.com.
2. Death
Here's the flip side: in biology, things eventually die, but there's no
good explanation for it. There are hints that switching genes on and off
controls ageing, but if our theory is right, those switches shouldn't have
survived natural selection. Then there's the argument that an accumulation of
faults does us in. However, there are plenty of whales and turtles who seem to
age ridiculously slowly - if at all. Of course, if we can work out why, that
could be great news for future humans (if not for the planet).
- Five mysteries of the universe, The Guardian, February 2, 2009.
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