The phrase can mean many things, depending upon the context within which it is being used. Perhaps a person inadvertently says something profound or useful; someone else, within earshot, might comment that what that person said “is saying something” — meaning thereby that something unique and substantive had been expressed. Or, perhaps there is a heartfelt exchange between two young people, and a silence suddenly looms over the conversation; perhaps it is an embarrassing moment, or a critical juncture in the conversation where something needs to be said — a commitment, perhaps, or an assurance, and one of them says to the other emphatically, “Say something!”
It is, in the end, the “something” which is the operative word in the phrase, is it not? The “saying” of it matters, but it is the “something” which makes or breaks the saying of it. It often parallels the other phrase — “Do something” — where, similarly, the “something” matters greatly, but it is the “doing” of that something that people entreat each other about.
For Federal employees and U.S. Postal Service workers who are beset with a medical condition that requires the proper preparation, formulation and filing of an effective Federal Disability Retirement application under FERS, always remember that “how” something is “said” — as in a medical report or in the Applicant’s Statement of Disability (SF 3112A) is just as important as the “doing” of it — i.e., of filing the Federal Disability Retirement application. The “something” that is said on SF 3112A must be substantive, concise and clear, and not just a bunch of “nothings” that may disappoint someone in a lover’s quarrel.
Consult with an attorney who specializes in Federal Disability Retirement Law in order to make sure that the “something” that is being said will make a difference.
Sincerely,
Robert R. McGill, Esquire
OPM Disability Retirement Lawyer
OPM Disability Retirement, Et Cetera… 