Flicking through & flipping through

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A British English teacher wrote the following:

My feeling from flicking through Google results is that it is probably used in the same way in the US too in certain specific contexts.

My question is this:

Would the meaning of the sentence have changed if he had written, ".....flipping through......"?

Thank you.

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Type: Question • Score: 5 • Views: 1,383 • Replies: 23

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@paok1970,

'flipping through' is the normal construction, but I suppose it's use could be confined to physical materials, as opposed to internet images.

1 Reply

@paok1970,

"Flick" means a push by snapping the finger. "Flip" means to turn over, especially turning a page. No resemblance.

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@paok1970,

'Flipping through' sounds really wrong to me.
I would definitely say 'flicking through'.

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@roger,

No it's not. Like Cherrie I find it totally weird, it's flicking through.

1 Reply

@izzythepush,

Maybe it's just New Mexico, but I have never heard anyone use the expression 'flicking through'.

1 Reply

@roger,

Don't you flick through the pages of a book/magazine/newspaper?

1 Reply

@izzythepush,

In the Northeastern US we flip through pages or images. I would never use "flick" in this context, although it does evoke the motion I sometimes use to navigate pages on my phone.

And that's the flipping truth.

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@paok1970,

Flicking, flipping... it's all the same. You're reaching the same climax either way.

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@paok1970,

As you may have gleaned from the responses, flicking (unAmerican english) and flipping (American english) are synonymous terms when used in the fashion you described.

1 Reply

@Miss L Toad,

I live in England, I'm English, I don't speak un-American English I speak English, no modifiers required.

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Cherrie lives in Australia.

1 Reply

@roger,

It's the arrogance though, you defined your colloquialism as 'normal,' as Miss Toad is defining everything from an American point of view.

Whenever I give advice on English I don't use terms like normal, I say how it's spoken over here.

The language is English, it originated over here by my ancestors, and it's our language that was spread around the globe.

The majority of Americans are descended from people who had English as a second language which probably explains why you can't pronounce English place names correctly.

1 Reply

@izzythepush,

Talk about arrogance.

1 Reply

@roger,

Yes, arrogance, using normal to define yourselves and defining everyone else by how they relate to you.

It's not normal to allow gun nuts to shoot up schools on an almost daily basis. Normal countries don't do that.

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Quote:

An Englishman's way of speaking absolutely classifies him,
The moment he talks he makes some other
Englishman despise him.
One common language I'm afraid we'll never get.
Oh, why can't the English learn to set

A good example to people whose
English is painful to your ears?
The Scotch and the Irish leave you close to tears.
There even are places where English completely
Disappears. In America, they haven't used it for years!

Why can't the English teach their children how to speak?
Norwegians learn Norwegian; the Greeks have taught their
Greek. In France every Frenchman knows
His language fro "A" to "Zed"

The French never care what they do, actually,
As long as they pronounce in properly.
Arabians learn Arabian with the speed of summer lightning.
And Hebrews learn it backwards,
Which is absolutely frightening.
But use proper English you're regarded as a freak.
Why can't the English,
Why can't the English learn to speak?

2 Replies

@maxdancona,

This is the 21st Century, not the 19th.

It's become a cliché how often you Americans use that particular piece of Hollywood to try to make a point about the UK.

Have you ever even visited this country?

1 Reply

@izzythepush,

I see I've touched a nerve, talk about not being able to handle the truth.

0 Replies

@maxdancona,

This is more up to date, (and accurate.)

http://viz.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/040_viz_anus.jpg

0 Replies

Flicking through & flipping through

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