A lot of people are able to banish the word “like” from their speech, which is good because “I was like…” gets really tiresome once you start to notice someone saying it. But there’s one phrase that even the most well-spoken, educated, thoughtful people use that gets me almost just as much:
“No, I was just going to say…”
This phrase always follows two people that start talking at the same time and one of the people showing deference to the other. The person then takes their turn to talk, starting with, “No, I was just going to say…” What the purpose this phrase serves, I’m not sure. Is it a way of saying, “Let me just say this real quick and then I’ll let you say your thing, which is clearly going to be much more important than my piddly thing?” Or is it a passive-aggressive way of plowing forward with a conversation?
I think perhaps a simple, “Thanks…” and then continuing on is most appropriate. But it’s hard to get out of that “No, I was just going to say…” habit. For reals.
Posted in Everyday Life