“It’s just none of his flippin’ business.”

Quoth Sarah Palin on TV. Does anyone in the USA say “flippin’” in normal speech or is just something someone might say on TV?

I’d say it’s rarely spoken seriously, since there’s barely a stigma associated with dropping an F-bomb or twenty nowadays, but there are still some folks who consciously avoid swearing, so it may find occasional use.

It’s not very widely used, in my experience, but it’s common enough that I would call it a recognized minced oath.

(interrupted while typing, semi-pipped by NTG)

I’ve heard “flipping” used in real-life speech in Leftpondia.  It’s not rare, but it is somewhat uncommon.  In my opinion, it is a ‘goofy’ euphemism likely to be chosen by those who might just as easily use “gosh-darn” or “dad-gummit”.  It seems to me to be slightly less ‘goofy’ than either of those. 

“Fricking” and “effing” are, in my experience, more commonplace.  I have heard the actual “F” word and its variations far more often than either of these, though.  As NTG says, “...there’s barely a stigma associated with dropping an F-bomb or twenty nowadays...”