Soldato
I don't mean to be rude, and I'm sure you're a better mathematician than I am, but I tend to find that the people who resort to an explanation like this are the very same people who don't fully understand their work.
I may be wrong, but it's an observation that tends to be fairly close to the mark.
Its a lazy answer rather than one that indicates a lack of understanding. I've used it myself once or twice when I don't have the time to explain everything, but lots of things can be discussed qualitatively with non-mathematicians if you have a little patience