BONUS - Things people say when they try to sound smart

You know those people who drop big words and vague phrases just to sound smart? Yeah… we’re calling them out. In this episode, we roast the most meaningless things people say when they’re trying way too hard to sound deep—like “it is what it is” (aka, I have nothing helpful to say) and “let’s circle back” (aka, I’m never bringing this up again). Inspired by an article from YourTango, we’re diving into the nonsense, rolling our eyes, and laughing through the jargon jungle.

If you’ve ever been trapped in a meeting where someone said “moving forward” one too many times, this one’s for you.

 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
The twenty first century began, human evolution was at a
turning point, a dumbing down. How did this happen? Evolution
does not necessarily reward intelligence with no natural predators that
in the herd, it began to simply reward those who
reproduced the most and left the intelligent to become an

(00:21):
endangered species.

Speaker 2 (00:23):
Do you also feel like the intelligent have become an
endangered species? That's the Jewbile Show. And I say that
because today there's a thread going viral of people sharing
phrases that people say to sound smart when they actually
have no idea what they're talking about. We'll go over
that right now so you can know what the phrases
are in case you're in a conversation with someone who's
pretending to know something or so you maybe don't use

(00:44):
it so you can pretend to know something. But here's
the top phrases that people use in order to sound
smart when they really don't know what they're talking about.

Speaker 3 (00:52):
At the end of the day. Oh, you know, at
the end of the day, bro, you know, at the
end of the day it's going to be Does that
make you sound smarter? Apparently people think it makes them
sound smarter.

Speaker 2 (01:04):
Yea, interesting because.

Speaker 4 (01:05):
Their ability to sum up the situation right, like that's
kind of what they're trying to do. And I overuse
this one so bad, Like I'm so sad this is
on the list because I use this all the time.

Speaker 5 (01:16):
But you don't use it sound smart. You use it
to like end a conversation, like if I'm going back
and forth with Brad like it did yesterday, he was
like Victoria at the end of the day, and I'm like,
the thing is, at the end of the day, He's right,
I want to keep pushing button.

Speaker 2 (01:35):
Here's another phrase that people say to sound smart when
they really probably have no idea what they're talking about.
In the grand scheme of things.

Speaker 6 (01:45):
I think I do use that one, what like, because
sometimes you got to zoom out and you got to
look at the grand scheme.

Speaker 7 (01:52):
I want the scheme I'm on right now, and I
don't want the mini one.

Speaker 2 (01:55):
Well, that's probably why I need to use it with
you the most.

Speaker 4 (02:00):
My favorite thing is when people say per se, per
per se over and over again.

Speaker 2 (02:04):
You're like, you don't know what that means? Yeah, per
but why do you use it incorrectly? Using it at all?
You can say per se, Oh my.

Speaker 4 (02:15):
Gosh, it is never necessary to say per se.

Speaker 6 (02:19):
How would you use that per se? It's he's not
an idiot, per se. But you don't need it.

Speaker 4 (02:31):
Now, try the sentence again without it.

Speaker 2 (02:34):
He's not an idiot.

Speaker 4 (02:36):
It doesn't mean the same thing.

Speaker 6 (02:37):
He's not an idiot, per se. It's implying that he is.
But we're going to be nicer about it.

Speaker 7 (02:41):
But the way he said it originally, I was like,
he's not an idiot? Also sounds like.

Speaker 2 (02:48):
It doesn't sound as cool. My favorite thing from growing
up was the people that I grew up with were
a lot of show loos and stuff like that, you
know where, and you could always tell when they're China
sound smart because they was say basically a bunch, not this.
It's just basically you don't know. Literally, it's the hood version. Literally.

(03:14):
Another phrase that people say to sound smart when they
really have no idea what they're talking about. Let's circle
back to this. Oh yeah. Circle back is one that's
used so much, especially in business and an office speak.
People are constantly circling back.

Speaker 6 (03:27):
I don't know if that's intelligence more or like uptight.
It just feels like you're a very uptight person that
wants to come back to the circle.

Speaker 4 (03:33):
But I know it's going to come back to it
to me if they don't know the answer and they're
trying to sound instead of saying, you know, I don't
know the answer to that, well I should. I'm going
to figure that out and then I'll come let you know.
They're saying what you know? Hold on, let's just let's
circle back this. That's not the priority here and that's
not creating synergy your question.

Speaker 2 (03:50):
So we're just gonna circle back. And or if they
don't want you in the conversation and you're in a meeting,
they let's have a sidebar.

Speaker 7 (04:01):
I'm like, why can't we just do it right now?

Speaker 6 (04:06):
Because on the grander scheme of things crazy.

Speaker 2 (04:11):
That people say when they're trying to act smart but
really don't know what they're talking about. Let me just
play Devil's advocate for a moment.

Speaker 7 (04:17):
Oh, I hate that I do do this, I know
and for what? Like that came off too strong?

Speaker 2 (04:24):
Come on?

Speaker 7 (04:25):
But it's like, if I want a Devil's advocate, I
just go talk to the person who I'm arguing with.
I don't want Devil's advocate, I want my.

Speaker 2 (04:34):
Usually when someone says that to you, they think you're wrong,
I feel like, you know, yeah, all right, well, let
me just play Devil's Advocate here. I'm not I'm not
saying this. I'm not saying maybe that's true. I'm not
saying it at all. But let's say I think you're
stupid on this. Let's say, let's just say I think
you're really Wrong's advocate. Though I don't think would you feel.
I never thought about that. I think you're right. That's

(04:55):
why I do it. I always start to get defensive
when someone says that to me. I don't know this that.
As soon as I say it, I'm like, all right,
what what do you think I'm saying? I definitely do
it to you. It's a smartness version of no offense.
It happened to me over the weekend in a conversation
and I had to take a breath. I'm like, maybe
they're just playing Devil's Advocate. Let's hear them out. Let's
hear them out.

Speaker 4 (05:15):
They're not going to playing anything else, but right now
they're an expert.

Speaker 2 (05:18):
Role player advocate. That felt like another phrase that people
use in conversation when they want to sound smart but
actually don't know what they're talking about. It is, it
is what it is. I hate that one.

Speaker 4 (05:35):
This one can come off two ways. One it can
be that they're trying to be smart, Yeah it is
what it is because they have nothing to add to
the conversation. They're saying it is where it is. Or
they have given up so hard that they truly do
not care.

Speaker 2 (05:49):
That's true. Yeah, I mean that one was interesting to me.
When I see it, I'm like, oh, this one is. Yeah.
The person on the other end of that use for
is what it is, what it is. It's so that
whatever is what it is, and then their face just
lights us.

Speaker 6 (06:04):
That one really triggers me to the point where while
I was talking to this person that would use it
all of the time, who I was dating, I even
bought him this like little wood thing that he could
hang up in his house that says it is what
it is because that became his mantra.

Speaker 2 (06:17):
But her bathroom on side what it is.

Speaker 6 (06:27):
It just got to the point where you just use
it for everything because I feel like you can fell
a little beat down.

Speaker 2 (06:31):
So it is what it is? Is that another girl
in our bed is what it is? Come on at
the end, of the day. I was just thinking outside
the bos