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Respected Contributor
Posts: 2,039
Registered: ‎03-09-2010

Why Do People On Talk Shows Say...

"Sit There" before they describe what someone did?

 

Example:  Don't "sit there" and lie.  or She "sat there" and laughed.

 

Not everyone is in the seated position when they do something and if they are it has nothing to do with the remark or situation.

 

This saying drives me crazy Cat Surprised 

Honored Contributor
Posts: 19,779
Registered: ‎09-06-2010

Re: Why Do People On Talk Shows Say...

@Jackhound Mom......I've never heard that.....  What talk show are you talking about????

Honored Contributor
Posts: 15,158
Registered: ‎06-27-2013

Re: Why Do People On Talk Shows Say...

@Jackhound Mom

Happy New Year to you, DH and Scooter 🎉

Respected Contributor
Posts: 2,430
Registered: ‎03-11-2010

Re: Why Do People On Talk Shows Say...

@Jackhound Mom  i understand exactly what you are saying.  my guess saying a person "sat there" is easier than denoting a action. I think it's just as common to say "she stood there" and lied about it. Another thing is lets say you get called into the bosses office for a verbal correction. all very calm etc. usually when the person is retelling the incident to say co-workers, the boss is always described as "yelling". even though a voice was never raised. 

Respected Contributor
Posts: 2,910
Registered: ‎05-08-2017

Re: Why Do People On Talk Shows Say...

It might be a regional thing.

I grew up in the Midwest and heard the phrase all the time.

Respected Contributor
Posts: 2,039
Registered: ‎03-09-2010

Re: Why Do People On Talk Shows Say...

@ShowMeI must confess, we started watching Wilco & Springer because of the lack afternoon entertainment.  So not all guests are collage grads.  

 

@butterfly123Happy New Year to you and DH!!!  Thank you for writing and I have been MIA  sense our illness after the granite install from H$((.  

Scooter has a whole new sweater wardrobe as about all I felt like doing is some knitting.

Haven't been on the boards in weeks.

Happy New Year to you, your Positive posters and every poster Cat Very Happy

Respected Contributor
Posts: 2,039
Registered: ‎03-09-2010

Re: Why Do People On Talk Shows Say...

@Ms tyrion2  Me too, MI but I only heard 1 man say it who had worked in Army Recruiting with DH while we were in MI.  I had never heard it and that was about 30 years ago until I heard on both shows this year.  

Honored Contributor
Posts: 12,928
Registered: ‎11-01-2010

Re: Why Do People On Talk Shows Say...

@Jackhound Mom

 

I don’t watch talk shows but I’m familiar with the phrase and it makes perfect sense to me though it has nothing at all to do with actual sitting. Not sure where it came from but it doesn’t bother me at all to hear it IRL. I can see how one might get confused hearing it on TV. 

 

 

Respected Contributor
Posts: 2,910
Registered: ‎05-08-2017

Re: Why Do People On Talk Shows Say...

@Jackhound Mom,

Phrases like:

Don't just sit there. Do something.

She was just sitting there minding her own business

She is sitting there pouting

 

All very much in common usage.  I grew up with them.

Honored Contributor
Posts: 20,648
Registered: ‎03-09-2010

Re: Why Do People On Talk Shows Say...

I don't see anything wrong with it.  Phrases like that tend to be colloquialisms, so there might be part of the phrase that isn't literal, but the point is made.

 

As long as it's not poor grammar, which I hear/see so very much too often anymore (ugh), I'm ok with it.  Smiley Happy