Just saying?

ADAGE

A wise old saying often passed down through generations might fit here.

The clue "Just saying?" plays on the idea of something being a casual remark, but the question mark hints at a twist. "Adage" fits because it’s a well-known saying or proverb—like "just saying" but in a more formal, timeless sense. The wordplay relies on interpreting "just saying" not as a throwaway phrase but as a reference to a type of saying itself. It’s a clever way to turn everyday language into a crossword answer.