Pawn Stars
I was recently watching an episode of Pawn Stars in which Corey Harrison offered a man $1500 for a powder horn. Harrison told the man,
"I really can't go any higher than that."
The word "really" is a word that often indicates untruthfulness. People use this word to bolster their statement but it usually has the opposite effect. The use of the word "really" indicates Harrison could go higher than $1500. I don't know if the seller picked up on this but he turned down the $1500 and started to walk away. Harrison then offered the man more money which caused him to turn around and accept the new offer. Harrison would have been better off not using the word "really" and keeping the sentence short; "I can't go any higher than that." The shortest sentence is the best sentence.