What does the expression ‘just saying’ mean or imply?
Knew an art teacher that would say that. “You might want more atmospheric perspective to give it depth. And more contrast on the type if you want anyone to read that headline… just sayin’…”
In other words, he wasn’t going to MAKE you fix it. You could leave it the way it is, get a C-, and the other students would point all these things out during a class critique… just sayin’.
Wouldn’t the literal meaning of Just sayin’ be “I’m not going to do anything about it, I’m just pointing it out.”
It’s a way to imply that your criticism of someone is based on objective facts rather than your personal opinion, and thus avoid having them blame you for criticizing them. Of course, your remarks often are just your personal opinion.
“Your new haircut makes you look like a lunatic. Just sayin.’”
Urban Dictionary’s top definition is pretty much how I mostly hear it used:
The second one is pretty good, too:
Mostly I’ve heard it used to act as some de-facto disclaimer for a distasteful or tactless, and/or especially clueless remark. To expand on that, when said remark is made, and a somebody retorts with a rebuttal, often the maker of said remark is not prepared to factually defend his remark.
So, basically it’s a case of somebody trying to dodge responsibility because their mouths wrote a check their brains can’t cash. Weasel-ey to the Nth degree.
Yep. Exactly this.
Interesting. I had not really gotten the negative associations with the phrase.
I see it more as a “couching” phrase, indicating that there is much more to be said, but in the interest of expediency, the phrase is used. Similar to “take my word for it” to steer someone in the right direction.
e.g. “Maybe you don’t want to go to the Black Lives Matter rally wearing the rebel flag shirt. Just sayin’.”
It’s like the non-apology apology. Weasel words that pretend to cover a$$holery.
As others have noted, it’s a defection. Plus it’s also a passive aggressive way of stating an argument with having no intention of debating the merits of the argument.
Jut sayin’ is one of the douchiest things someone can say. It’s a HUGE copout, like, “Oh, hey, I’m just telling it like it is,” when in reality it translates to, “I’m being an asshole and looking for a way to legitimize that.”
Example: “You’re so fat you look like a sausage in casing. Just sayin’.”
Or
“She’s a giant whore, so I’d take what she says with a grain of salt. Just sayin’.”
Oh, the go-to phrase there is “No offense…”
“No offense, but those thighs look like sausages no-longer-in-casing… because they’ve already exploded.”
My elderly white supremacist mom starts a lot of rants with “I don’t mean to sound racist…” or “Well, no offense, but…” I’ve started cutting her off with “Mom, whenever you say that, whatever’s said next IS offensive. At least to everyone besides you.”
She would never say “Just sayin’”, because that would imply that it was just her opinion. In her world, these are facts.
Actually, I do think it can be used this way, as well. I mostly hear it in the negative way, but this seems an idiomatic way of using the phrase to me, too. Interesting.
Slacker-Level Passive-Aggressive.
My interpretation (and I could be wrong) is that it means “Don’t kill the messenger.” In other words, “I’m just reporting the facts, not passing judgment. I’ll leave that up to others.” Of course, they probably *are *passing judgment, but the phrase is their attempt to deny it.
I’ve only heard it a couple times when overhearing advertising for that ultra-right-wing radio guy…sorry, I can’t even remember his name but he was pretty big in the midwest during the year I lived in Ohio. The ad had soundbites of his Just Sayin’ phrase in the middle* and end of the commercial.
My interpretation was that it was his signature phrase that he would throw out at the end of a long scathing monologue full of half-truths and innuendoes and conspiracy accusations, then drop in Just Sayin’ as some kind of shield to protect himself from libel and defamation-of-character lawsuits. But while his dedicated listeners seemed to consider his opinions as good as gospel, casual and non-interested listeners could accept his Just Sayin’ closing line as a disclaimer of actually meaning anyone harm or really suggesting anyone should consider him any kind of an authority.
TLDR: A disingenious disclaimer tacked on the end of hateful and hurtful invectives that were designed to fall just barely short of inciting foul actions.
–G!
*I can remember one of those commercials throwing out bullet points of praise, one of which I would see spelled out in my mind as “Inciteful!”