Two people talking

Ever had a conversation that goes a little something like this?

Your conversation partner: “Have you been promoted recently?”

You: “What? No? You know I’m self employ–”

Your conversation partner: “I actually got promoted last week. I’ve become the vice-deputy manager-chair god-king of...” etc., etc..

If so, I’m afraid you’ve been the victim of a “boomerask,” a portmanteau of “boomerang” and “ask.”

The term refers to questions that only really exist to give the askers room to talk about themselves.

The self-serving purpose hides under the guise of enquiring about the other person, which askers think leaves a good impression, a paper published in the Journal of Experimental Psychology: General says.

It does not actually work, though; the research found most people know when the move’s being pulled.

So, we spoke to etiquette expert Jo Hayes, founder of

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