# Where does "She/He turned around and said" come from? British speaking. **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 30, 2009, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-does-she-he-turned-around-and-said-come-from-british-speaking/483785 "2009-01-30T21:31:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2009, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-does-she-he-turned-around-and-said-come-from-british-speaking/483785/1 "2009-01-30T21:31:45Z")
I am sure many Brits will back me up here. You often hear this phrase used in gossip. It is when people are having a conversation _about_ a conversation that took place in the past. Following is an example to illustrate the usage. “I said it wasn’t me, and she turned around and said it was you and you know it. And I turned around and said it can’t have been me because I was somewhere else. And she turned around and said…” I hear these conversations and I have this comical image of two people having a conversation, and literally swivelling no the spot each time it’s their turn to speak. When it’s not amusing it’s embarrasing. Why do people say it? Where did it come from? ---
**Author:** ![bordelond](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bordelond/32/150_2.png) [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2009, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-does-she-he-turned-around-and-said-come-from-british-speaking/483785/2 "2009-01-30T23:02:38Z")
Probably just an idiomatic usage. It makes me think about a hypothetical, similar exchange between two Americans: “I’m like “_it wasn’t me_”, and she’s like “_it was you and you know it_”. And I was like “_it couldn’t have been me because I was somewhere else_”. And she was like …” ---
**Author:** ![jkirkman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ac8455/32.png) [@jkirkman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jkirkman)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2009, 3:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-does-she-he-turned-around-and-said-come-from-british-speaking/483785/3 "2009-01-31T03:30:55Z")
I understand this does not address the OP, but I can’t resist… Slowly I turned, step by step… > **[Slowly I Turned](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slowly_I_Turned)** > > "Slowly I Turned" is a popular vaudeville sketch wherein a character is relating a story and is triggered into violent outbursts when the listener inadvertently utters a triggering word or phrase. Versions have also been performed in movies and on television. Comedians Harry Steppe, Joey Faye, and Samuel Goldman each laid claim to this routine, also referred to as "The Stranger with a Kind Face" by clowns, "Niagara Falls" by fans of The Three Stooges and Abbott and Costello, "Martha" b The rout... –jack I’ll take the Susquehanna Hat company for 1000, Alex ---
**Author:** ![Ellef](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8dc957/32.png) [@Ellef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellef)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2009, 7:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-does-she-he-turned-around-and-said-come-from-british-speaking/483785/4 "2009-01-31T07:46:01Z")
Brit chiming in here, we definitely do say that all the time, and it is indeed a feature of gossipy conversation - to say someone “turned around and said” something implies that they’ve got a bit of a nerve really. I can remember being told off for it at primary school. Goodness knows where it comes from though, sorry I can’t help there. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2009, 11:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-does-she-he-turned-around-and-said-come-from-british-speaking/483785/5 "2009-01-31T11:02:03Z")
I think people just say it without thinking, but needing some kind of delimiter to separate _What I said_ from _what the other person said_. It usually appears when the conversation being described is an argument or debate - and I think ‘turned around and said’ probably evolves out of some general sense of opposites (“I said it was, but he turned around and said it wasn’t”), perhaps combined with the idea of the conversation being something like the ball in a game of tennis, where the dialogue itself goes (turns) back and forth. “At the end of the day…” is a far more annoying idiom, IMO. It used to mean “and here’s where I sum up my whole statement…”, now it’s just meaningless filler, like “I mean’ and ‘like, y’know’”. I mean, I got out of bed and, like, yknow, couldn’t decide what to eat, but at the end of the day, you’ve got to choose something for breakfast. ---
**Author:** ![Ximenean](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/aca169/32.png) [@Ximenean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ximenean)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2009, 12:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-does-she-he-turned-around-and-said-come-from-british-speaking/483785/6 "2009-01-31T12:04:38Z")
The one that amuses me is “to be fair”. Somehow it has shifted from the logical “to point out a mitigating circumstance”, like “Rooney’s had a terrible game, but to be fair he did have a leg amputated yesterday”, to a rather illogical way of introducing a critical statement, like “to be fair, Rooney’s had a terrible game”. Maybe he has, but how is that being fair? It’s being harsh, isn’t it? ---
**Author:** ![Martini\_Enfield](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/martini_enfield/32/11123_2.png) [@Martini\_Enfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martini_Enfield)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2009, 12:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-does-she-he-turned-around-and-said-come-from-british-speaking/483785/7 "2009-01-31T12:19:13Z")
> [@Ellef](#): > > Brit chiming in here, we definitely do say that all the time, and it is indeed a feature of gossipy conversation - to say someone “turned around and said” something implies that they’ve got a bit of a nerve really. I can remember being told off for it at primary school. Goodness knows where it comes from though, sorry I can’t help there. I was going to say pretty much the same thing. It’s got an element of gossiping women having conversations along the “Would you believe the nerve of her?” line; you don’t hear it as often here as you do in NZ (or the UK, evidently), though. ---
**Author:** ![ivan\_astikov](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/58f4c7/32.png) [@ivan\_astikov](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivan_astikov)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2009, 12:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-does-she-he-turned-around-and-said-come-from-british-speaking/483785/8 "2009-01-31T12:38:09Z")
The “turned around and said” thing sort of implies that one person has got the upper hand in a verbal exchange, but then the seeming loser of the bout…“turned around and said”, and reignited the whole thing. I agree, it’s still a bit silly. ---
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2009, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-does-she-he-turned-around-and-said-come-from-british-speaking/483785/9 "2009-01-31T17:35:46Z")
Personally\* I think “Turned around and said” is worse than “At the end of the day” and “To be fair”, the latter of which I sometimes use. In its defence it is meant to stress that what is about to be said is a statement of what I believe to be the fair answer or solution. I sometimes want to say “If you say ‘Turned around and said’ one more time I’ll stick a fork in my own face” ETA: Forgot to add this bit: \*Beginning a sentence with the word ‘Personally’ could count as one. Like beginning with “I” isn’t enough to indicate that an opinion is about to be expressed. (Well perhaps it isn’t. Perhaps “I think” could merely be a statement of probable fact, such as “I think this car has plenty of fuel”) ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2009, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-does-she-he-turned-around-and-said-come-from-british-speaking/483785/10 "2009-01-31T18:36:29Z")
> [@Ellef](#): > > Brit chiming in here, we definitely do say that all the time, and it is indeed a feature of gossipy conversation - to say someone “turned around and said” something implies that they’ve got a bit of a nerve really. Americans sometimes say this too, in just the way you mean. But I’ve never heard it used repeatedly in the description of a conversation as the OP suggests, nor does the speaker ever indicate that **they’re** the one who “turned around and said…” either. I guess we use it more narrowly than where it probably originated, like the slang use of “dead [insert adj].” ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Mudd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f14d63/32.png) [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2009, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-does-she-he-turned-around-and-said-come-from-british-speaking/483785/11 "2009-01-31T19:53:48Z")
We use that phrase a lot up in Canada - enough that it doesn’t twig my anglicisim meter at all. A similar construction (and more particularly English) is “only went and…” – serves a similar function, and is particular to the same type of anecdotal conversation. ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2009, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-does-she-he-turned-around-and-said-come-from-british-speaking/483785/12 "2009-01-31T20:44:07Z")
> [@Lobsang](#): > > I am sure many Brits will back me up here. You often hear this phrase used in gossip. It is when people are having a conversation _about_ a conversation that took place in the past. Following is an example to illustrate the usage. > > "I said it wasn’t me, and she turned around and said it was you and you know it… Brit here and I cannot back you up; I’ve never heard it used except in the literal sense of someone actually turning round to face the speaker. Perhaps it’s a Manx idiom? ---
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2009, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-does-she-he-turned-around-and-said-come-from-british-speaking/483785/13 "2009-01-31T20:53:35Z")
No it isn’t Manx. I’ve lived in England for most of my life and I’ve hear it there too. Admittedly it seems to be limited to young females (teens to early twenties) so perhaps you’re lucky enough to be avoiding over-hearing those conversations. ---
**Author:** ![Freddy\_the\_Pig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a587f6/32.png) [@Freddy\_the\_Pig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freddy_the_Pig)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2009, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-does-she-he-turned-around-and-said-come-from-british-speaking/483785/14 "2009-01-31T21:02:09Z")
I think it all started when somebody turned around and shouted, “Play that funky music, white boy.” ---
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2009, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-does-she-he-turned-around-and-said-come-from-british-speaking/483785/15 "2009-01-31T21:37:36Z")
As a Beatles fan from way back, I’ve noticed that Pete Best says this all the time in interviews, but I’ve never heard or read about the others saying it. ---
**Author:** ![Kamino\_Neko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kamino_neko/32/34_2.png) [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2009, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-does-she-he-turned-around-and-said-come-from-british-speaking/483785/16 "2009-01-31T21:43:26Z")
> [@Ximenean](#): > > Somehow it has shifted from the logical “to point out a mitigating circumstance”, like “Rooney’s had a terrible game, but to be fair he did have a leg amputated yesterday”, to a rather illogical way of introducing a critical statement, like “to be fair, Rooney’s had a terrible game”. Eh, what? The only time I’ve ever heard your second usage is in this context: ‘We lost, and it’s Rooney’s fault!’ ‘How dare you blame Rooney, he’s the best player we have!’ ‘To be fair, Rooney had a terrible game.’ ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2009, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-does-she-he-turned-around-and-said-come-from-british-speaking/483785/17 "2009-01-31T22:04:03Z")
> [@Quartz](#): > > Brit here and I cannot back you up; I’ve never heard it used except in the literal sense of someone actually turning round to face the speaker. Perhaps it’s a Manx idiom? It’s very common here in the central south - I also think it’s more common in urban communities than rural or suburban. ETA: Several British comedians have commented on it, to my knowledge. ---
**Author:** ![Ximenean](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/aca169/32.png) [@Ximenean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ximenean)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2009, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-does-she-he-turned-around-and-said-come-from-british-speaking/483785/18 "2009-01-31T22:18:00Z")
> [@Tengu](#): > > Eh, what? > > The only time I’ve ever heard your second usage is in this context: > > ‘We lost, and it’s Rooney’s fault!’ > > ‘How dare you blame Rooney, he’s the best player we have!’ > > ‘To be fair, Rooney had a terrible game.’ Come on, pundits such as Alan Hansen, Alan Shearer, Ron Atkinson use “to be fair” all the time, as a kind of general purpose introductory prefix, kind of like “in my opinion”. Usually followed by something spiteful and unfair. ---
**Author:** ![Busy\_Scissors](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/d78d45/32.png) [@Busy\_Scissors](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Busy_Scissors)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2009, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-does-she-he-turned-around-and-said-come-from-british-speaking/483785/19 "2009-01-31T23:56:45Z")
> [@Ximenean](#): > > Come on, pundits such as Alan Hansen, Alan Shearer, Ron Atkinson use “to be fair” all the time, as a kind of general purpose introductory prefix, kind of like “in my opinion”. Usually followed by something spiteful and unfair. QFT ‘To be fair’ is used so often in football parlance, across all contexts, that it’s now beyond parody - it in no way corresponds to the literal meaning of the phrase. '- Didn’t think Anichebe had a good game today against ManU - He’s shite, to be fair to the lad. He should be playing for Accrington Stanley. - 'You could write what Sir Alex knows about football tactics on the back of a postage stamp - I’d fold it in half, to be fair.’ ---
**Author:** ![Bacon\_Salt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/65b543/32.png) [@Bacon\_Salt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bacon_Salt)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2009, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-does-she-he-turned-around-and-said-come-from-british-speaking/483785/20 "2009-02-02T02:17:06Z")
I’m in the US and I’ve heard the “turned around and” phrase in the sense of someone being hypocritical or contradictory in behavior. However, it’s never “turned”, it’s “turns”. Usually said by boomer-aged women. “Tiffany said she hated that guy and never wanted to have anything to do with him ever again. So what does she do? She turns around and marries the bastard!” “To be fair” sounds like it’s a way to soften harsh statements, much like our “bless his/her heart” as in “Bobby is a sweetheart of a boy, but dumber than a sack of wet concrete, bless his heart.” [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-does-she-he-turned-around-and-said-come-from-british-speaking/483785.md?page=2)