# Why do people say... **URL:** \ **Category:** Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports\ **Created:** [December 4, 2005, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-say/334103 "2005-12-04T23:29:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Shiggity\_S](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/74df32/32.png) [@Shiggity\_S](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shiggity_S)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2005, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-say/334103/1 "2005-12-04T23:29:13Z")
SDSTAFF Veg: > [@](#): > > The correct term is, “hear, hear!” It is an abbreviation for “hear, all ye good people, hear what this brilliant and eloquent speaker has to say!” > Of course, if the speaker is actually asking a question, such as “and just where do you think we should open the new strip club?” it’s not hard to imagine that at least one yahoo in attendance might yell, “here, here!” But this would be the exception that proves the rule. I’m not sure why this wouldn’t be appropriate to respond to a question. In neither case would the person responding know whether the speaker had anything else to say. ---
**Author:** ![Shiggity\_S](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/74df32/32.png) [@Shiggity\_S](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shiggity_S)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2005, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-say/334103/2 "2005-12-04T23:34:29Z")
As for the love of God, I’m pretty sure we all know that “the exception that proves the rule” is a logical fallacy that strips credibility away from the explanation. ---
**Author:** ![Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tapioca_Dextrin)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2005, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-say/334103/3 "2005-12-05T00:46:00Z")
[Why do people say, “Hear, hear”?](http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mhear.html) ---
**Author:** ![John\_W.Kennedy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_w.kennedy/32/1031_2.png) [@John\_W.Kennedy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_W.Kennedy)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2005, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-say/334103/4 "2005-12-05T01:58:26Z")
> [@Shiggity S](#): > > As for the love of God, I’m pretty sure we all know that “the exception that proves the rule” is a logical fallacy that strips credibility away from the explanation. Actually, no, there’s no fallacy. The problem is a misunderstanding of the word “prove”, which is being used in its older sense of “test”. In other words, if there’s an exception, then either there’s something wrong with the rule or there’s a reason it isn’t really an exception. ---
**Author:** ![C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b2d939/32.png) [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C_K_Dexter_Haven)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2005, 12:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-say/334103/5 "2005-12-05T12:39:21Z")
Welcome to the Straight Dope Message Board, **Shiggity S** , we’re glad to have you with us. When you start a thread, it’s helpful to other readers if you provide a link to the Staff Report upon which you are commenting. Saves search time and confusion (there are lots of Staff Reports.) No biggie, **Tapioca Dextrin** has provided it for you. Also, on “exception proves the rule,” you might want to see Cecil’s column: [What’s the meaning of the expression, “That’s the exception that proves the rule?”](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a3_201.html) I also confess, I’m not sure what point you’re making in your OP. Speaker says Blah Blah, listener says “Hear, Hear” meaning “Well said!” What does whether the speaker has anything more to say have to do with it? ( **Veg** ’s comment about listener saying “here, here” is a joke.)