It’s a really great question....

I recall going for an academic interview to work on a project looking into an issue. One of the (simplistic ) questions they asked me was "How would you go about investigating this."

My response was. "Let me see. (gave me time to phrase an answer to this stupid question) "You are proposing to employ someone for two years to look into this issue but you want me to give you an immediate off the cuff answer now!"

I was tempted to tell them that I considered it a very silly and naive question. However I simply told them that I thought it was an unrealistic one. There was quite an akward silence.

Just shows what a bunch of wallys they were. Academics are rubbish at interviews.

They did in fact send me an offer to the job but by then I had already accepted another.

Doodledog

They often mean 'that's a really good question, but I will answer a totally different one now that there is a bit of a time lapse between what I was asked and what I prefer to talk about'.

That's it!

"How can I avoid answering your really annoying question and give a politician's answer instead."

watermeadow

My pet peeve is all the AYs heard on my radio. AY really good question etc. I never hear people in the street say AY cup of tea, AY nice day, AY pair of shoes, yet AYs are constant from broadcasters and politicians.

Weather forecaster (I won't name him 🌧) who says "Ay lot of rain fell on Wells today"
He means Wales.

What gets me is how many presenters etc. Say, "You know."

Can honestly say I’ve never heard anyone on tv using Ay instead of A.
I think the ‘that’s a really good question’ is just to get the questioner onside.Wonder if it works.
There’s a few phrases politicians use all the time that gets a bit annoying, but the only thing I really disliked was all the hand gestures that Boris Johnson used to use, chopping through the air, banging on a desk and so on.

I think it’s used to flatter the interviewer. A bit like giving someone ‘likes’ or 👍 on a forum. Gets the interviewer ‘on side’. Clever really, albeit irritating to the audience who probably sit there thinking ‘smarmy git’.

Germanshepherdsmum

It really, really annoys me.

I truly don't understand this. For me, it means two things

a) that it is an interesting question very much worth asking

and

b) that the answer is very complex and requires reflexion.

What on earth is wrong with that?

I expect intelligent, responsible people to be at times taken by surprise, even when experts in their field, and to be prepared to spend time looking at all aspects of the question before answering.

It’s said as a matter of course, that’s what annoys me - not because the question is particularly interesting.

It's to buy time, not because they think the question really is interesting.

Exactly.

How can I get out of this one?

Jodieb

What gets me is how many presenters etc. Say, "You know."

Oooooo me too!!!! I always think if I know why are you being interviewed?

Have things moved on from “so”? Every answer from politicians always seemed to start with “so”.

Germanshepherdsmum

It’s said as a matter of course, that’s what annoys me - not because the question is particularly interesting.

By some, perhaps.

I have said it a few times on GN, and I meant it as above.

Rather different on GN - you’re not playing for time,

I agree with GSM it's use to buy time and as an avoidance tactic. If you use it on GN it's most probably because you are genuinely interested

JaneJudge

I agree with GSM it's use to buy time and as an avoidance tactic. If you use it on GN it's most probably because you are genuinely interested

Precisely

Fleurpepper

Germanshepherdsmum

It really, really annoys me.

I truly don't understand this. For me, it means two things

a) that it is an interesting question very much worth asking

and

b) that the answer is very complex and requires reflexion.

What on earth is wrong with that?

I expect intelligent, responsible people to be at times taken by surprise, even when experts in their field, and to be prepared to spend time looking at all aspects of the question before answering.

... that's possibly because it's what it means when you say it. In other words, you genuinely mean what you say.

Politicians, on the other hand...

... to enlarge on my above comment.

If someone really believes you've raised and interesting / great question - why don't they explore it from the perspective of the person raising it instead of chuntering on from their own POV?

because they are self serving peoples?

crazyH

I have heard “that’s a really great question”, quite often on discussion programmes, but I can’t say it annoys me. I don’t understand the “can I get …”. Do you mean “ can I get you a cup of tea?” - in my case I always say “would you like a cup of tea ?”

By ‘can I get…’ I mean “can I get a cup of coffee?” when asking for something such as a coffee in Costa. I’d love someone to reply “You can get your own coffee but if you would like to have a coffee I’ll gladly serve you” 🤣🤣. Just another bad use of grammar infiltrating of daily language.

FannyCornforth

It gives them a couple of seconds to think about their answer.
I think it’s a sensible tactic.
If you leave dead air the listener will unfairly think that the interviewee doesn’t have a clue what they are talking about

Maybe its an age thing, I can only do one thing at a time. . The response is rattled off so quickly how can they say “Thats a really great question” and think of a reply at the same time? It’s like patting your head and rubbing your stomach simultaneously.

I suppose because I’ve cottoned on to the phrase I seem to hear it all the time which is why its annoying - perhaps irritating is the better word.

VioletSky

Not much annoys me

It has to be something that is repeated often and even then it only jars me a bit, not really annoying..

Like constant erms or OKs

…and young people’s sentences interspersed with ‘like’ dozens of times.

I annoy myself when I often add ‘I mean’

Yes! It annoys me too! It seems that they think there is a possibility of a not so good question! Who are they to judge!