It's Axiomatic!

Conversational cues such as, “With all due respect….” and “Taking nothing away from X….”, the content following the ellipses usually constitutes a contradiction of the preceding clause. For instance, some of the most insulting comments to a judge and counsel in a courtroom follow the ubiquitous, “With all due respect…” showing a lack of any respect. In sports talk, as another example, I have observed that when a commentator starts his or her statement with “Taking nothing away from X team….”, the commentator proceeds to do exactly that.