Touching Base With Office Jargon…
Touching Base With Office Jargon
Taking a ‘helicopter view’, why do we feel the need to use such phrases around the office in the first place? Some surveys suggest they’re used as a bluffing tool, to make something basic sound more complicated and important than it actually is. Others believe it shows off an individual’s creative flair with the English language. Either way, they’re mot commonly renowned as both annoying and unnecessary.
Here are some of the most common phrases used around the office and their real definitions. There may also be a few you’re unfamiliar with but that’s not an excuse to start using them, please!
If there’s a certain someone in work who’s guilty of more than one of the following you can always subtly give them a copy of Trailblazer to read. Hopefully they’ll put their head below the parapet to achieve their goal of not touching base with you and using such cringe worthy phrases and instead get in the trenches to think outside the box by moving the goalposts to and put a cork in it…
Let’s Touch Base
The cliché of clichés, so let’s start with it. Business lingo for catch-up or talk soon, both of which there’s nothing wrong or unprofessional with. Pointless saying and deserves all the stick it gets.
Low Hanging Fruit
Intended to make its recipient feel at ease with the task ahead, but a polite way of saying ‘these targets are easily achievable, you’re in trouble if you cant achieve them.’
Head Above The Parapet
Taking a risk, can also mean the opposite when expressed ‘head below the parapet’. Depending on the individual delivering this one, it can also involve a physical mime of someone popping their head up, similar to a child pulling itself up to a window to obtain a better view.
Get It Over The Line
Relatable to numerous sports, it suggests some sort of big achievement when accomplishing something.
What’s wrong with ‘get it done/finished’?
In The Trenches
Aimed at inspiring those lower down the pecking order, although in most cases actually comes across as very condescending and roughly translates ‘you do all the work nobody wants to do.’
Look Under The Bonnet
By no means the worst, and by all accounts quite a good one. This tired classic relates to looking into something in greater detail, a shame it’s been overused.
Achieve Your Goals
Heavily adopted by motivational speakers, this is a polite and ‘inspirational’ reminder in work that you have targets to hit.
Think Outside The Box
When businesses start to get all entrepreneurial by considering other ways of achieving your goal (oops). The irony here is fantastic because by using this phrase, you’re clearly not thinking outside the box…
Snowed Under
Everyone is busy. Whether it’s pretending to be so you don’t have to do engage in other tasks or you can barely handle your current workload, snowed under is the perfect get-out phrase to use when asked to do something extra, also very seasonal, lovely.
Moving The Goalposts
Why can’t someone move the goalposts on this phrase? With its broad meaning and sport related connotation its user assumes it goes down a treat but acts as more of a space-filler than anything.
Hit The Ground Running
Desired affect is to start something with great enthusiasm but in reality will deflate anyone who’s unlucky enough to be on the receiving end of this overused rallying cry.
Lets Put A Cork In It
Polite phrase with its relation to wine, but ultimately its user wants to put an abrupt end to whatever the issue is.
Honorable mention:
Al-desko
More ‘office banter’ than cringe worthy clique, means having lunch at your desk. Pretty good but in danger of slipping into the list above if overused.
