Yeah but No

So, what exactly does "Yeah but No" really mean? We all have our own little quirks when we speak, right? Little mannerisms that sneak into our every day speech. Insidious little phrases.

Mine, I'm told is "aswell". He's going to lunch, as well. We need to review that PMSR report, as well. (PMSR we'll get into later, as well.)

Well another co-worker tends to use "Yeah but No" a great deal, as well. Now, I've tried to determine what exactly this means. But to no avail. Sometimes, "Yeah but No" means Yeah. And, you guessed it. Sometimes it means "No".

And surprisingly, sometimes it means Yeah but No. In other words, I agree with you, but you are wrong. Which is a clever way of telling someone you to go to ... well you get the idea. But at the same time you're saying, "Hey, save me a nice warm seat when you get there."

Then again, it could just be the most milk-toast, politically correct, non-committal, insecure expression that I have ever heard.