What's the pompous guy's conversational crutch for 2011?

[Bossy Monkey]

Speaking as a pompous guy, I go with "Granted...," since that's mine, but I thought I'd seek other opinions. "Actually" and "basically" were mine from the '80s. In the Oughts, Alice told me my NPR show would be called "Be That As It May," though I honestly don't remember ever saying this.

[Tom_Foolery]

1. The perennial favorite: At the end of the day!!

[Bossy Monkey]

4. At the end of the day, it is what it is. Good one, thanks!

:toast:

[Tom_Foolery]

5. You're welcome!!!

:hi:

[PassingFair]

2. Whatever happened to:

"regardless"?

[Bossy Monkey]

8. Another great one. I also like the dumb pompous guy's "irregardless." :) n/t

[Rob H.]

3. "That being said...."

I know someone who uses that phrase all the time even when the point is already blindingly obvious.

[Bossy Monkey]

9. I'm so glad I haven't heard this. Then again, it's really the same as "Granted," I think.

I mean, that being said, it's really the same as "Granted." :P

[frogmarch]

6. "Insists upon itself"

Example of usage: Some would say the theory (or movie, book, idea, statement, etc.) insists upon itself.

Meaning: Some would say the "whatever" considered by others to be profound is really pretentious/pure drivel.

[Bossy Monkey]

10. As at #9, I'm so glad I haven't heard anyone say this. n/t

[mix]

7. fiddlesticks nt

[Bossy Monkey]

11. I thought that was what a pompous cartoon duck said nt

[xchrom]

12. 'clearly'? nt

[Chan790]

13. "Qua"

My pompous fuckstick friends use this to tie together completely unrelated concepts in nebulous ways typically in advance of an awkward segway to a third unrelated concept. I'm convinced they do it to prop up conversation while they change the topic.

"So, on the failure of Brendan's real estate venture qua the national debt, how do you feel the Cleveland Indians will do on Thursday?"

"In discussing the Marxist tropes within Moby Dick and 1970's gay erotica qua the Hegelian overtones of the feminism of smegma, I feel we should grab a cup of yerba maté later and casually snog."

[Orrex]

14. At my former company, one of hte big phrases was "quite frankly."

True masters of its usage could squeeze it into conversation a dozen times or more in the space of about a minute.

[petronius]

15. You missed a couple of real obvious ones; you need to

spend a bit more time in GD... ;)