In the latest episode of Ted Lasso, the phrase “Flipping Straights” is mentioned by Rebecca as she tells a story about Freddie Mercury. Viewers might be curious about the meaning of this term.
Although AFC Richmond is a fictional team in the world of Ted Lasso, the show has developed the club over three seasons, making it feel like a genuine Premier League team.
In the recent episode, it is revealed that Freddie Mercury, the lead singer of Queen, once owned the fictional team in 1980. In response to this revelation, Rebecca mentions that Freddie Mercury’s significant talent was “flipping straights.” However, the exact meaning of the phrase is not explicitly explained in the episode.
hannah waddingham and freddie mercury both having an amazing four octave vocal range and both having a knack for flipping straights. so true #tedlasso pic.twitter.com/S86uC4j802
— daisy (@weltonsmac) May 24, 2023
The episode focuses on AFC Richmond’s away fixture against Manchester City, where the City supporters sing their anthem, “Blue Moon.” Keeley suggests that Richmond should have their own anthem for the fans to sing.
Higgins then shares that they did have an anthem when Freddie Mercury briefly owned the team in 1980, drawing a parallel to Elton John’s ownership of Watford. He mentions that Freddie tried to make “Fat Bottomed Girls” the club song, but it didn’t work out. Interestingly, the song does appear in the Ted Lasso soundtrack as the Richmond team returns home from Manchester later in the episode.
During this conversation, Rebecca adds that her late father attended art school with Freddie Mercury, further connecting her to the Queen frontman.
“Everyone always talks about his amazing four-octave vocal range,” she begins. “But my father always insisted that if you actually asked Freddie what his greatest talent was, he would’ve said ‘flipping straights.’”
Exact Meaning of Phrase ‘Flipping Straights’ in Ted Lasso
In Ted Lasso, the phrase “flipping straights” can be interpreted as someone who is attractive or attractive enough to attract people who identify as straight, regardless of their sexual orientation. Can create praise or admiration.
To put it differently, “flipping straight” means that a person has the ability to gain attraction or admiration from the person who would normally be attracted to the opposite sex. It is not meant to change one’s sexuality, but highlights a person’s universal appeal or attractiveness.
In the context of Ted Lasso, Rebecca is suggesting that Freddie Mercury was so universally adored that even individuals who identified as straight would openly express their love or attraction for him.
A beloved Brit with a four-octave vocal range and the ability to flip straights? Did you mean Hannah Waddingham?#TedLasso pic.twitter.com/uJIxnbkDIU
— M (@WeltonSwears) May 24, 2023
A recent real-world example of this phenomenon could be Pedro Pascal, who has gained significant popularity and has become a fan favorite in recent months. Even straight male fans can appreciate his looks, personality, and talent, alongside gay and female fans.
Ted Lasso Fans Reaction
While Rebecca characterizes Freddie Mercury’s biggest talent as “flipping straights,” fans of Ted Lasso have swiftly drawn parallels between the iconic Queen singer and Hannah Waddingham, the actress who portrays Rebecca in the show.
One fan on Twitter explained: “Hannah Waddingham and Freddie Mercury both having an amazing four-octave vocal range and both having a knack for flipping straights. So true.”
While another noted the same point: “Four-octave range and flipping straights? That’s Hannah Waddingham, thank you very much.”
“Pretty sure that’s also Hannah’s talent as well,” wrote another fan. “Four-octave range and flipping straights.”
I love that they found a way to make ‘Freddie Mercury owned AFC Richmond’ into the canon since it got cut from the pilot. pic.twitter.com/vYFBcsclQG
— Alanna ⚽🐙 Ted Lasso Spoiler Machine (@strangeannamaul) May 24, 2023
And finally, this fan also believes the flipping straights line is a little inside joke between the show’s creators: “I just know Jason Sudeikis made Rebecca tell the ‘Freddie flipping straights’ story because he knows that Ms Waddingham has all the gays in the palm of her hand.”
