By stating that someone "had a buddy who" once did something, the user can follow the comment with any random made-up bullshit that he/she desires, but be justified because he/she "had a buddy" that once did that. This "buddy" has always done something better than anything you could ever do, and is a classic one-upper. This "buddy" is someone that only the person telling the story knows, so the claim cannot be refuted, since no one knows the "buddy" to say otherwise.
Mark: "I once got stranded on the interstate for 2 hours in a snow storm"
Jim: "That's nothing, I had a buddy who... once was stranded in a snow storm for 4 weeks and 2 days, he survived by eating his tires"
Mark: "Really?" "That sounds very unlikely, who was that?"
Jim: "No, its true, he was my buddy, you wouldn't know him"
Jim: "That's nothing, I had a buddy who... once was stranded in a snow storm for 4 weeks and 2 days, he survived by eating his tires"
Mark: "Really?" "That sounds very unlikely, who was that?"
Jim: "No, its true, he was my buddy, you wouldn't know him"
by Markiscoolerthantonyandscott December 22, 2010