Much has already been said about Donald Trump’s rambling, semicoherent statement on the U.S. relationship with Saudi Arabia in light of journalist Jamal Khashoggi’s murder. We would only like to say a quick word about a single phrase in that strange document: “That being said.” It occurs at the beginning of the statement’s penultimate paragraph: “That being said, we may never know all of the facts surrounding the murder . . .”
The Scrapbook wishes to go on record as loathing this phrase and its miserable siblings—that said, having said that, with that said, that having been said—and to plead with readers neither to use it nor tolerate those who do. The phrase serves no legitimate purpose except to suggest that everything prior to it was stated only to get it “said” and so may be safely forgotten. If it’s a transition you want, the language offers a smorgasbord of alternatives: but, yet, however, on the other hand, nonetheless, and so on.
If you have already said it, you don’t need to point out that you said it—unless you’re afraid your readers are not paying attention. And who can blame them, if you persist in using pointless filler phrases?
