# Verbal filler that are just the worst.

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/verbal-filler-that-are-just-the-worst/795121>\
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion\
**Created:** [August 30, 2017, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/verbal-filler-that-are-just-the-worst/795121 "2017-08-30T18:53:06Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 6

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**Author:** ![phreesh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/9fc29f/32.png) [@phreesh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phreesh)\
**Post date:** [September 6, 2017, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/verbal-filler-that-are-just-the-worst/795121/101 "2017-09-06T15:12:51Z")

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> [@ZipperJJ](#):
>
> For some reason my dad has always started conversations with my nieces with “Guess what…” Ever since they’ve started talking, the girls start every conversation, or sometimes every sentence with “Guess what…” They’re now 5 and 7.
> 
> I always tell them “Tell me, don’t ask me” but they don’t even realize what the problem is because my dad does it. It doesn’t sound weird or wrong to them.
> 
> Kid: Hey guess what!  
> Me: _blink_  
> Kid: My teacher gave out stickers today!  
> Me: Cool!  
> Kid: And guess what!  
> Me: _blink_  
> Kid: I got a purple one!

I get this with kids all the time. Not such this specific phrase, but always opening a statement with a question:

“Do you know what’s awesome?”  
“Yeah. Dinosaurs attacking a city.”  
“Oh, what I meant was that an awesome thing is when…”

“Do you know what sucks?”  
“Yes. Flooding.”  
“Oh. I mean a thing that sucks is…”

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**Author:** ![misling](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3ab097/32.png) [@misling](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/misling)\
**Post date:** [September 6, 2017, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/verbal-filler-that-are-just-the-worst/795121/102 "2017-09-06T19:59:23Z")

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> [@phreesh](#):
>
> I get this with kids all the time. Not such this specific phrase, but always opening a statement with a question

I think they’re just trying to test out whether they have the adult’s attention.

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