Biden and His ‘Bidenisms.’ You Might Hear Them in the Debate Tonight.

Former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. has honed a distinctive, memorable speaking style over his decades in public life.

That’s not hyperbole, folks.

Close observers of Mr. Biden, the former Delaware senator and early leader in Democratic presidential primary polls, note that he taps into a unique but predictable set of verbal tics in virtually every public appearance he makes, a series of phrases sometimes collectively known as “Bidenisms.”

The phrases can vary from speech to speech, but the most recognizable ones are often used to punctuate a particular point, to signal candor or to simply connect with the crowd.

To underscore the importance of a message he is seeking to make, Mr. Biden often uses phrases such as “not a joke,” “that’s not hyperbole,” “literally” and “I’m serious.”

Mr. Biden’s fans view him as a warm public figure with an authentic, relatable manner, and he embraces that straight-talking, accessible image by using terms like “folks” and “here’s the deal.”

His detractors worry that Mr. Biden, a 76-year-old relative centrist, is out of touch with the progressive wing of today’s Democratic Party. His sometimes-meandering style and habit of telling tales from his political life that date back years can feed into that image, and some of his Bidenisms have the feel of another era. To get back on track or to wrap up a story, Mr. Biden often uses the term “anyway.”

Here’s a guide to some of Mr. Biden’s most-used phrases.

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