WWTBAM Bored

Mr. Winter, unless Bruce is already 13 or over, and if he wants to register on this board, tell him to fib about his age to get in.

I'm just saying....

AnnieCamaro wrote:I'm just saying....

Can someone tell me what "I'm just saying...." means? It seems to have entered the language in recent years as a crutch for something, but I'm not sure what. Is there some implied object or clause that is unspoken but universally understood. How would any statement that is followed by "I'm just saying..." be changed in meaning if that expression were not there?

TheConfessor wrote: Can someone tell me what "I'm just saying...." means? It seems to have entered the language in recent years as a crutch for something, but I'm not sure what. Is there some implied object or clause that is unspoken but universally understood. How would any statement that is followed by "I'm just saying..." be changed in meaning if that expression were not there?

Good question, Confessor! The phrase seems to be used as a postscript in the way "Nota Bene" might be used to draw attention to an implication in the preceding paragraph. At the same time "I'm just saying..." has a marvelous, noncommital air to it. In this example, Annie is not telling Bruce to lie about his age! Wink, wink, nod, nod.

TheConfessor wrote:

AnnieCamaro wrote:I'm just saying....

Can someone tell me what "I'm just saying...." means? It seems to have entered the language in recent years as a crutch for something, but I'm not sure what. Is there some implied object or clause that is unspoken but universally understood. How would any statement that is followed by "I'm just saying..." be changed in meaning if that expression were not there?

I'll try. I don't remember which stand-up comedian originated it as a verbal abbreviation, of sorts, but it started as a pained expression of self-defense when one had made a statement that he thought was fairly innocuous, but others took offense to. Imagine this conversation:

Comic: So, how 'bout those golden globes on Hillary Clinton (or Barbara Bush, or Mamie Eisenhower, or substitute your own female political figure here)? I tell ya, she really needs some of those bulldozer back-up beeps when she goes into reverse, know what I mean?

Crowd: <universal>

Comic: Hey, I'm just saying I think she's not a front-loader, that's all! I hear she's auditioning for the role of the Alien Queen in Alien 5, though.

In other words, the "I'm just saying" was shorthand for "I know I said something a little outrageous, and just to drive the point home, I'm gonna get a few more whacks in, too!"

Nowadays, it has gotten the sitcom treatment, so it's just a comic punchline-without-a-joke. It doesn't rankle me as much as it apparently does you, though. I reserve my indignation for "nucular" and "like."

mrkelley23 wrote: It doesn't rankle me as much as it apprently does you, though. I reserve my indignation for "nucular" and "like."

It's all good.



But what does the <universal> reaction mean?

TheConfessor wrote:

AnnieCamaro wrote:I'm just saying....

Can someone tell me what "I'm just saying...." means? It seems to have entered the language in recent years as a crutch for something, but I'm not sure what. Is there some implied object or clause that is unspoken but universally understood. How would any statement that is followed by "I'm just saying..." be changed in meaning if that expression were not there?

Personally, I use it as a way to express a thought but soften it to not make it sound accusatory toward the person you are talking to, but rather as a generalized statement.

MarleysGh0st wrote:

mrkelley23 wrote: It doesn't rankle me as much as it apprently does you, though. I reserve my indignation for "nucular" and "like."

It's all good.



But what does the <universal> reaction mean?

Okay, that's funny. I didn't preview my post before I hit submit, but I know I glanced at it before I hit post, and I'm pretty sure the line after "Crowd:" said something like "universal gasp of horror and disgust." Either I reeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeally mis-typed, or somethjing about the gtlt signs caused part of that sentence to be truncated. I'm not good enough with the subtleties yet to know if that's possible or not.

I don't need help from that jackass, Wintergreen, and I don't have to fib, either-- at 22 1/2, I am fully legal here. Still have to figure out how all the bells and whistles work on this new Bored. I had the old Bored all figured out. But like they say, you can always teach an old cat new tricks.

Bixby17 wrote:

TheConfessor wrote:

AnnieCamaro wrote:I'm just saying....

Can someone tell me what "I'm just saying...." means? It seems to have entered the language in recent years as a crutch for something, but I'm not sure what. Is there some implied object or clause that is unspoken but universally understood. How would any statement that is followed by "I'm just saying..." be changed in meaning if that expression were not there?

Personally, I use it as a way to express a thought but soften it to not make it sound accusatory toward the person you are talking to, but rather as a generalized statement.

OK, am I the only one who wants to go back through all the old posts to see how many had Bix saying "I'm just saying" to someone?

Bruce! You are WAYYYY more imposing than I had thought, what with your ball-less...never mind.

I'm just sayin'.

snOrt guffaW

Pretty good discussion on The Confessor's question here:

http://www.painintheenglish.com/post.php?id=958

Bruce, you don't look a day over 10!

That's an excellent discussion at the link you posted, Mr. K.

I won't use that phrase any more.

I will say, "Sou iu koto de."

So very good to see you here.

MissDenise wrote:So very good to see you here.

This place is going to the dogs!

Bob Juch wrote:

MissDenise wrote:So very good to see you here.

This place is going to the dogs!

I like that running-back-and-forth picture, Mr. Bob, but Denise is a beautiful cat. She has red hair, like her roommate, Miss Melly. Denise also will be a noteworthy cast member in my opera, Guinefort.

I'm very happy that she came over here, too.

bruce - i think i may have found out what happened to your missing parts

http://www.goodecompany.com/detail.aspx?ID=482

Man, that's harsh.





Seemed like a logical progression to me.

AnnieCamaro wrote:

Bob Juch wrote:

MissDenise wrote:So very good to see you here.

This place is going to the dogs!

I like that running-back-and-forth picture, Mr. Bob, but Denise is a beautiful cat. She has red hair, like her roommate, Miss Melly. Denise also will be a noteworthy cast member in my opera, Guinefort.

I'm very happy that she came over here, too.

Oh, I knew that. I was warning her she was outnumbered.

Another interesting thing I've noticed about this expression is that a lot of the times that I've heard it said, the person saying it will use a gesture to go along with it. The gesture consists of putting your hand in the air, like a flat palmed wave, and sort of tilting your head towards the wave.

"I'm just sayin'....."


So, to me it seems like it is someone stating something obvious, but trying to lessen the harshness of whatever they are saying. It is kind of like putting a smiley at the end of a sentence to say, "Yeah, I just said something that might be objectionable, but I'm saying it with the intent that I want leave the conversation, or sentence, as friends"


Cindy, who thinks the Yankees are silly.

mrkelley23 wrote:Okay, that's funny. I didn't preview my post before I hit submit, but I know I glanced at it before I hit post, and I'm pretty sure the line after "Crowd:" said something like "universal gasp of horror and disgust." Either I reeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeally mis-typed, or somethjing about the gtlt signs caused part of that sentence to be truncated. I'm not good enough with the subtleties yet to know if that's possible or not.

I noticed that yesterday when I put the words "good vibes" between the brackets: <<<good>>>

Only the word "good" appeared. I'm not sure why that is.

All is right with the world.

The fourfooters have made the trek.

peacock2121 wrote:All is right with the world.

The fourfooters have made the trek.

Next migration (heaven forfend!) we need to appoint someone as a Noah to make sure all the four-footers are in the ark and make it safely through the storm.