It comes from Greek drama, where the chorus was made up of two sections with differing opinions, the strophe and antistrophe, literally turn and turning back (or maybe it was the same section, and they actually turned one way to say one thing and turned around to give the opposite position).
Actually, I have no idea. But it sounds plausible, right? 
I knew a redneck, good-ol-boy at work who liberally peppered his stories with “so then I turned around and said,” and “so he turns around and says…” I thought it was just his freakish way of saying “Ummm” while he was making up the next part of his story. I asked him once, 'Don’t you ever get dizzy, turning around all the time when you talk?" He gave me a blank stare and continued his story.
I think it’s similar to “I up and told him what I thought,” or “we up and went to the store.” It’s a verbal filler that may be intended to add drama or force to the story but is just irritating.
Winnar!
I agree with the gossipy connotation. I’m Canadian, 50 something and have heard it since I was a kid.
I’ve heard it frequently in the American South and don’t find it unusual at all. I’ve also heard it all my life (48).
Yes, definitely a visual image. Think Eastenders (if you’re a Brit), a soap opera in the course of which you’ll hear this expression at least a hundred times in each episode: one character participating in some gruesome conversation will hurl a (usually inflammatory) comment at another character, who is usually moving in the other direction, having assumed that the conversation is over. Suddenly, for whatever reason, this character - the one moving away - turns round to add some devastating comeback…
But the action of moving away has become redundant, and these days use the expression is used as if no one has physically moved in any direction! (By the way, Brits usually say “turned round” rather than “around”). Crazy. These days, one or two friends of mine, acknowledging the comical aspect of this expression, will say: “So you told your boss you wanted a raise - but I hope you turned round and said it, because if you didn’t, you can forget it!” Ha ha.
Yup. I’ve encountered people using it in much the same way as “No offense, but…” and “I’m not a racist, but…” to bolster their (often unthinking and unfounded, but harsh) opinion of someone else. - i.e “To be fair, you’re pretty shit at this job”
To be fair, now I know what zombies turn around and say.
Similarly, “I don’t mean to criticise, but…” [speaker then goes on to criticise at length].
The “turn around” thing really irritates me and it is very common in Scotland / UK. One of the most common usages is “you can’t turn around and say after you told me [Y] last time”.
I don’t ever recall hearing a Brit say it. I associate it with the American Midwest and my aunt who used to say it all the time. In her case it was usually " I turned around and. . . " and what followed could be anything she did, said, thought . . . it was just a meaningless phrase she was in the habit if inserting. No one else in the family did it so maybe it wasn’t a midwest thing.
Now if someone could explain the response “do what?”. There’s this homicide inducing habit some people have of asking “do what?” instead of simply “what?” or “pardon?”
Nobody mentioned *doing *anything, goddammit :smack::mad:
A songwriter from the Midwest:
She turned around and looked at me as I was walkin’ away
I heard her say over my shoulder, “we’ll meet again someday
on the avenue”
Michigan here, and I thought this was a general Americanism. TIL.