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To partake in a conversation whilst not paying attention to the other people conversing, making it seem as if you're listening while you're really not. For best effect, you must look attentive, and nod and say general responses such as "yep" throughout the conversation. It also helps to occasionally repeat the last word of the sentence the other person had just said for added effect (e.g. "so the other day, I went to see a light show--" "a light show?"). An expert gumbler knows when to recognize a question being posed and quickly backtrack as to sufficiently answer the question. Named after Bryant Gumbel, who is rumored to do interviews while not actually paying attention to the interviewee. Spelling: gumbel; gumbled; gumbeling; gumbler (one who gumbels).
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