Now I'm hearing; "back in the day" constantly. While we're on the subject, it seems EVERY talk-show host over here can't ask a question without prefacing it with: "Let me ask you this....or let me ask you a question....Driving me batty! Jeez...just ask the damn question !
Here here.
It is a sympton of the modern world everything has to be prefaced with something, no one it seems is willing to go out of a limb without a safety net.
The expression back in the day is IMHO most annoying. LOL
Great examples of Beltway herd mentality. Rather like the 'word of the week" that some great Beltway Oz decides all the media munchkins will use to describe the current 'crisis'. Remember 'Dickensian', 'gravitas', 'quagmire', 'rises to the level of', etc.
one of my favorite preambles to a statement or question is "with all due respect." Far from it's original respectful meaning, it's now about as close to an outright insult as you'll hear most of the time in direct conversation. It just drips with "you don't deserve any respect, you clown, so here's my smackdown..."