Hmmm...

Are you stuck in the conversation?

Don't know how to react to an uncomfortable question?

Don't know what to say?

Just said something, which now you regret and want some time to re-arrange (read: make some excuse) your thoughts?

OR you are just plain stupid?

Here's the panacea for all this. Hmmm... In the virtual world, it buys you time, makes the other person you are thinking, when you actually have to go pee. In the real world, this usually should accompany a nod. Now the other person is fully aware that either you know a lot, or are seriously interested in what they are saying.
I mean, use it whatever way you want to, wherever you want to, this works, 95% of the time.
Well, how did i reach this statistics... hmmm.

But jokes apart, lets for once discuss something serious. Hmmm... I think is another name of GOD. I think I want to start a new religion, hmmism. I mean, why do people want God? To rescue them from problems. In the virtual world this is what hmmm can do. And anyways, even God these days is not all powerful... And since there are anyways, some 2 billion religions in the ~6.5 billion world population so another additon won't disturb it much more.

Q: Neeraj, it seems the work stress is affecting your grey cells.
N: Hmmm...

Q: Don't you have anything productive to do?
N: Hmmm...

Q: What are you saying? Why are you saying?
N: Well... hmmm...