January 28, 2021

Psaki's "circle back" tic is funny, but just her way of saying "get back."

 

"I'll have to circle back to you" is really no different from "I'll have to get back to you," a common thing for a press secretary to say. But it does stick out and seem goofy. And the connotation is evasive, because of the idea of circling around a subject or being circuitous. 

I think her "circle back" is like Jeb Bush's "garner," which I've been making fun of for years. Jeb said the word "garner" way too much. The first time I blogged about that, I wrote:
He simpers and nods to the point where Meade and I just laugh at him. It's an in-joke for us that he keeps saying the word "garner."... The only reason to say "garner" is if you think there's something wrong with a very common word that normal people just go ahead and say all the time without thinking they need to rise above it. The word is: "get."

I believe the same thing is going on with Psaki. She thinks there's something wrong with the word "get." That's why she's not just saying "I'll have to get back to you" like most English-speaking Americans. 

95 comments:

Meade said...

I think what she really means is "suckle."

Michael K said...

We are now in an era where one must be very careful about what one says.

Throughout 2020, Domestic Violent Extremists (DVEs) targeted individuals with opposing views engaged in First Amendment-protected, non-violent protest activity. DVEs motivated by a range of issues, including anger over COVID-19 restrictions, the 2020 election results, and police use of force have plotted and on occasion carried out attacks against government facilities.

Long-standing racial and ethnic tension—including opposition to immigration—has driven DVE attacks, including a 2019 shooting in El Paso, Texas that killed 23 people.

DHS is concerned these same drivers to violence will remain through early 2021 and some DVEs may be emboldened by the January 6, 2021 breach of the U.S. Capitol Building in Washington, D.C. to target elected officials and government facilities.


Yes. I just ordered a history of the Cultural Revolution to be prepared for our new overlords.

Laslo Spatula said...

She: Circle Back.

They: Circle Jerk.

I am Laslo.

wendybar said...

She is over her head. Lucky for her, she doesn't have any rabid Jim Acostas there to berate and yell over her answers and calling her a liar.

Dear corrupt left, go F yourselves said...

embrace the "get" - there are not many words that can replace its simplicity.

Kay said...

I hear “circle back” a lot already in an office setting and yes, I don’t like it either.

320Busdriver said...

She’s dumb as F@#$.

I’ve seen multiple times where she catches herself saying something so stupid she starts to blush. I almost feel sorry for her. Almost

Nonapod said...

She thinks there's something wrong with the word "get." That's why she's not just saying "I'll have to get back to you" like most English-speaking Americans.

My guess is she subconiously thinks "circle back" sounds a shade more sophisticated than "get back". After all, "circle" has 2 syllables and "get" is only one! It's likely that she had no idea she was doing it. But now that she's being mocked for it, it'll be interesting to see how she reacts. Will she continue to say it? If she has any sort of sense of humor (which I'm dubious of), she would redouble her use of it and emphasize it.

It's funny how people become fixated on certain words and expressions in conversations without being fully aware of it. Someone pointed out that I was using the word "basically" a lot. I had to consciously stop myself from using it since it annoyed me that people noticed.

rehajm said...

She had to stop saying 'circle back' after the metaclips of her saying it over and over. The current dodge is apparently 'monitoring the situation'...

...also reporting the diversity of the new administration as if that's an answer. Example:

Reporter: Is The White House concerned about the stock market activity around Gamestop?

Psaki: We have the first female Treasury Secretary.

mccullough said...

Get back to where you once belonged

mccullough said...

Circle gets a square

Retail Lawyer said...

This type of person says "convo", "reach out" and "you go girl" alot.

320Busdriver said...

Hey Jen, does Joe think that keeping the poorest kids in the urban school districts out of school is aligned with his push for equity & equality?

Why don’t you circle back on that for us...

AlbertAnonymous said...

She’s just insufferable.... ugh

narciso said...

Or blocking opiod treatment or raising insulin prices, or suspending oil leases.

320Busdriver said...

How bout you unpack that for us Jen

wendybar said...

I wonder if she will be asked about NY's 50% more deaths in Nursing homes than was reported?? Good thing Killer Cuomo got an Emmy for his good work. https://nypost.com/2021/01/28/ny-nursing-home-covid-deaths-50-higher-than-stated-ag-probe/

Ice Nine said...

>>Althouse said...
The only reason to say "garner" is if you think there's something wrong with a very common word that normal people just go ahead and say all the time without thinking they need to rise above it. The word is: "get."<<

I've always wondered what your "garner" fetish was all about. And finally, an explanation - right there in that statement. A statement that is plainly erroneous. The words "garner" and "get" have very distinct differences in meaning, geez...as any dictionary will inform you.

NCMoss said...

Not as the bad as the dreaded, "let me be clear" which would guarantee that weasel-words were soon headed your way.

dreams said...
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dreams said...

I like it, I've used it myself after selling a stock at a loss to have money to buy one that is moving up, as in I'll circle back and make-up that loss on that stock later. I've probably heard it on CNBC. I remember saying it once, it sounded a little pretentious though, for me.

Nonapod said...

I haven't even watched any of her press conferences. I'm not particullarly interested in the cringe inducing interplay between a sycophantic press and a spokeperson for a crooked administration. And I'm even less interested in watching a spokeperson who evidently isn't even particularly good at spin or deflection.

Wince said...

Can she "circle back" with her feet?

Hunter Biden wants to know.

PM said...

Circle back and square things with you.

Yancey Ward said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
WK said...

Urban dictionary. Circle Back
An action phrase used by clueless management and consultants to end a conversation because they're afraid of committing to a course of action and to imply they will continue to think about it. Question the sanity and time management skills of anyone who says "Lets Circle back later"

Yancey Ward said...

Psaki left her home in Tucson, Arizona for some California grass.

Bilwick said...

It always comes down to statists circline back to more statism.

rehajm said...

How long before all White House press conferences look like this?

Sebastian said...

Agree with your take on Psaki. She symbolizes the essential fraudulence of the prog promise: that experts, the best people, will run the government, on the basis of science and hard evidence, presented rationally and persuasively. In fact, of course, most are empty-headed, clueless lightweights.

Also agree that garner is usually for poseurs.

But . . .

"The only reason to say "garner" is if you think there's something wrong"

It's not the only reason, though, is it? I mean, garner has different connotations.

gilbar said...

wendybar said...
She is over her head

serious question
was That why they picked Psaki?
did they Intentionally pick an intellectually challenged individual?
if so, WHY?

JPS said...

Ice Nine,

"The words 'garner' and 'get' have very distinct differences in meaning, geez...as any dictionary will inform you."

Yes, but have you not noticed some people say "garner" when they simply mean "get"?

See also utilize versus use, under False Elegance.

narciso said...


The result of this boredom

https://andmagazine.com/talk/2021/01/26/the-bomb-trains/

gilbar said...

i like the montage of Psaki saying Umm

which, interestingly enough, doesn't seem to be on You Tube

farmgirl said...

Just shows how much she doesn’t know-
Circle back = a quaint way of showing ignorance

farmgirl said...

Notice the nods of understanding from the MSM
Kinda makes me puke

JaimeRoberto said...

I'll have to circle back with you so we can discuss leveraging the new paradigm of best of breed solutions in the cloud.

NorthOfTheOneOhOne said...

One of yesterday's best headlines:

Jen Psaki On GameStop Stock Surge: ‘We Have The First Female Treasury Secretary.’

stevew said...

Her purpose is to signal intelligence, education, or something. Clarity of information sharing is not. In my job, sales, if I find myself saying "I'll have to check on that and get back to you" too often then I know I'm in the wrong meeting or with an unqualified prospect.

NorthOfTheOneOhOne said...

Wonder if ol' Jen "touches base" after she's "out of pocket" for a while to tell people it's their "turn in the barrel".

DavidD said...

I think the point is that she doesn’t have any other answer to the question.

Maybe she needs a binder....

Breezy said...

Big difference from Ashleigh and her binder full of info on most issues of the day and beyond.

Curious George said...

It's not a tic. "A tic is a sudden, repetitive, nonrhythmic motor movement or vocalization involving discrete muscle groups. Tics can be invisible to the observer, such as abdominal tensing or toe crunching. Common motor and phonic tics are, respectively, eye blinking and throat clearing."

It's just her way of being "hip."

Closer to a tic, but still not a tic, is Psaki using the word um.

Remember you can't have dumb without um.

BarrySanders20 said...

Here's Jen's mentor on limiting the scope of what's available for discussion:

The Jerk

That is, the inquiring minds of the national press can ask questions about anything between the ashtray and the thimble. Outside of that, she'll have to circle back. Which is fine you know, because they know she's one of them.

todd galle said...

Laslo, i think i saw the Circle Jerks back in the day when my hair was not gray. Back when people could congregate amongst fellow citizens.

Kevin said...

I'm so old I remember when Presidential spokespeople came to briefings armed with binders full of answers to questions they predicted might be asked.

stlcdr said...

It's typical middle-management speak. When you don't have something valid to say, make sure you use these phrases to cover up the bullshit.

Barry Dauphin said...

If she concludes that garner and get are interchangeable, she could say "I'll garner back to you."

Mike (MJB Wolf) said...

But when will she "circle back" and explain why China should have access to our power grid. It isn't a funny tic when its avoiding transparency with these China-favoring EOs flying out of the White House. WTF?

Michael K said...

"We have the first female Treasury Secretary."

I even remember when Obama appointed the first female Latina head of OPM and she hired a Chinese national to manage the database.

What happened next should have been predictable.

Except to a very smart Latina.

A July 2014 story in The New York Times quoted unnamed senior American officials saying that Chinese hackers had broken into OPM. The officials said that the hackers seemed to be targeting files on workers who had applied for security clearances, and had gained access to several databases, but had been stopped before they obtained the security clearance information. In an interview later that month, Katherine Archuleta, the director of OPM, said that the most important thing was that no personal identification information had been compromised.[22][30][31]

Some lawmakers made calls for Archuleta to resign citing mismanagement and that she was a political appointee and former Obama campaign official with no degree or experience in human resources. She responded that neither she nor OPM chief information officer Donna Seymour would do so. "I am committed to the work that I am doing at OPM," Archuleta told reporters. "I have trust in the staff that is there."[2] On July 10, 2015, Archuleta resigned as OPM director.[32]

Edmund said...

Maybe she will garner back to get back.

Mike (MJB Wolf) said...

My example is a specific question she avoided, when the admin should have a ready answer for EVERY executive order, not just the ones that give away the store to China. He hasn't explained "equities" either. Joe doesn't know what he signed and his spokeshole won't explain it. There's your boring government Althouse! Stonewalling is exceptionally boring for sure.

Eleanor said...

Biden has been searching far and wide for the least qualified people he can find. That's why his Secretary of Commerce is the governor of the state ranked 50 in being friendly for business and his Secretary of Transportation is a mayor who couldn't keep the potholes filled. Why would he hire a competent press secretary?

BUMBLE BEE said...

ABSOLUTELY!

tastid212 said...

Several people (all bankers) have said to me, "I'll revert when I have that information" or "I'll revert tomorrow." Bugs the heck out of me.

Will Cate said...

I heard that all the time during my 15 yrs working in big-corp America. Eventually it came to mean its opposite: "It's unlikely we will ever speak of this again."

Openidname said...

You;re missing the forest for the trees. Who cares what words she's using? She's avoiding answering the questions. Can anyone cite an instance in which she did, in fact, circle back, get back, or whatever back and finally actually answer?

gadfly said...

As Hulu tells us over and over again, "circle back" (and any oft-repeated expression) could be a catchphrase!

Yikes! "Over and over again" could be a catchphrase!

Susan in Seattle said...

I think of you, Ann, whenever I see or hear the word, 'garner.'

sykes.1 said...

In the tradition of westerns, "circle back" means setting up an ambush.

DavidD said...

tastid212, were they Indian? If so, they might also tell you that they’ve preponed something when they’ve moved it up....

Anonymous said...

Even more weirdly, she does not say "circle back TO" as Althouse types, but "circle back WITH."

This makes no sense as an image in my mind's eye.

chuck said...

Reminds me of an ancient toilet that we nicknamed The Vortex.

n.n said...

Get back... black has diversitist overtones. h/t NAACP, if not, why not?

So does circle back... black.

Walk back...

gadfly said...

Blogger Eleanor said...
Biden has been searching far and wide for the least qualified people he can find. That's why his Secretary of Commerce is the governor of the state ranked 50 in being friendly for business and his Secretary of Transportation is a mayor who couldn't keep the potholes filled. Why would he hire a competent press secretary?

Umm, I don't think you want to go there, after the parade of lying appointees who worked for Trump - Sean Spicer, Sarah Sanders, Stephanie Grisham and Kayleigh McEnany.

As for Buttigieg's inability to get potholes fixed in South Bend, the only complaint came from the RNC. It seems that Notre Dame's hometown applied for and won a $5000 donation from Domino's Pizza to supplement the city's budget to fill potholes which is not the same as not keeping them filled.

Then there is the prime example of many unqualified appointments by Trump - Matthew Whittaker - "The Big Dick Toilet Salesman," amazingly appointed to succeed Jeff Sessions as Attorney General.

Bilwick said...

Remember that with party-liners and State-fellators such as "gadfly,"thye word "lying" is defined as "that which goes against the Hive party line."

Goldenpause said...

The MSM will treat it as endearing -- even when she actually never circles back with an answer. Because the MSM considers itself to be part of the Biden team.

Michael K said...

Then there is the prime example of many unqualified appointments by Trump - Matthew Whittaker - "The Big Dick Toilet Salesman," amazingly appointed to succeed Jeff Sessions as Attorney General.

Glad to see gadfly is back on his meds. For a moment there, I thought sanity was threatening. His meds, of course, consist of LSD and Meth.

walter said...

She was just live..saying mostly nothing, other than hinting the "immigration" policy is being r=tweaked next week.
She's getting a bit frustrated from a reporter bringing up Joementia's previous framing of excessive EOs as dictatorial.
She claimed out of context...

Lucid-Ideas said...

"Circle Back" is just the way residents of PanEm say 'I'll get back to you'.

It's also a cocktail at Lincoln and a sexual position they perform at orgies.

MadTownGuy said...

'Circle back' is corporate-speak, or at least it was in Madison when I worked there.

gspencer said...

Is she the Lucy or the Ethel of that team?

MadTownGuy said...

AOC and Democrats are eager to archive records, make lists to ensure Trump allies face ‘accountability’

"AOC and Democrats are eager to archive records, make lists to ensure Trump allies face ‘accountability’

"Is anyone archiving these Trump sycophants for when they deny or try to downplay their complicity in the future? I see decent probability of many deleted Tweets, wrtingswritings, in the future
"

Seems to me she may have watched "The Lives of Others" and thought it was a how-to instruction video.

walter said...

She's Annie with straight hair.
Tomorrow, tomorrow..I love you..tomorrow...

Mike of Snoqualmie said...

Jen Stupid is just unprepared for her new responsibilities, just like her boss, Joe "Malvolio" Biden, the usurper. She needs a nice note book, with crosstabs, that contain the answers to the reporters' questions. And these reporters have the dreamy look on their pusses, since usurper Malvolio is the next best thing since the coming of the light bringer. That terrible, terrible Don Trump has been evicted from the glorious House of White and the new righteous overlords have taken possession.

walter said...

She made an unfortunate reference to a new appointee needing time to find his pens...

Ken B said...

Actually she means “I have no answer but am confident you will forget.”

Indigo Red said...

Time to retitle The Beatles song.

Matt Sablan said...

It is funny because the previous press secretary came prepared with quotes, binders and videos. This amateur hour is just amusing.

Doug said...

https://babylonbee.com/news/biden-all-female-communications-team-wont-tell-nation-whats-wrong-nation-should-already-know?utm_content=buffer7f93e&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer

mikee said...

Rabbits, among other prey animals, when chased by a predator will often run in a large circle, ending up back where they started, which is often close to their burrow. Coyotes do similar big circles, for example, to lead hunters away from their den and their pups.

This use of the phrase by the Press Spokesperson does neither of the above. Nobody leads or follows the statement, all it does is leave the question unanswered. But the Press got to ask a "tough" question, and that's all that we need know. Answers? Maybe we'll deserve them after the next election.

The Elder said...

I don't understand what this post is about. I just don't garner it.

MartieD said...

Overly generous reading of this matter, Professor Althouse. It’s not a tic! The bitch is: clueless, obfuscating, or lying. Take your pick.

CStanley said...

Maybe it’s a subliminal reference to “circle the wagons”. She’s signaling to her allies that they’ve touched on an issue for which the White House expects them to provide cover.

Ken B said...

Psaki would be saying “I'll garner back to you.”

Iman said...

Meade! And right out of the fucking gate, too!

Iman said...

A REAL American would say “I’ll circle back...”

My initial quick glance before seeing the vid start button had me thinking “Heckle is wearing a mask!”.

Heckle is the nickname I tagged her with during 0bama’s Reign of Error. Jeckle is Marie Barf...

Peter said...

Wait for: “I’m garner circle back to you on that”…

Anonymous said...

Robust!

The Crack Emcee said...

Jen Psaki Says She'll 'Circle Back' To Question About Why Biden Is Currently Wandering Press Room Sniffing Reporters - The Babylon Bee

Danno said...

Psaki should read Psalms to SlowJoe and not waste time with these worthless press conferences.

Iman said...

A REAL American would say “I’ll DOUBLE back...”

Lurker21 said...

*Sigh*

And she was always the pretty one. Much more attractive than Marie Harf, Victoria Newland, Bob Gibbs, Jay Carney or even Jamie Rubin.

One thing one learns in school is that students hate teachers who say, "I'll get back to you on that" or "We'll discuss that later" and never do. Still, all Jen has to do is giggle, flash her eyes and toss her magnificent red-orange hair and all is forgiven.

"Double back" implies "backtrack" or "backpedal." "Circle back" implies that she's going on a journey and eventually, you will meet up with her and share a laugh and maybe she will have the information you asked for, but the journey, not the information matters. The "uptalking" is still annoying, though.

People don't get that deflecting questions and spinning is what press secretaries and PR people get paid to do. There was so much abuse of Spicer, Huckabee and McEnany for just doing their job, but Jen may get away with being an airhead and never answering a question, just like Jay Carney, who lied like a pro never got called to account.

Lurker21 said...

Similar to Hillary Clinton. People didn't like her. Her fans thought it was because they didn't like women and didn't want to vote for one. But no, she was just unlikeable.

If Jen doesn't get it right, we'll hear that it's because people didn't respect her because she is a woman, not because she's lousy at what she does. It doesn't matter that women have already done the job better, and done so under much more pressure, working for Trump. They don't count.

pacwest said...
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