Useful words

1. Words and Jargons in use
I. Useful words
To indicate more information
• Besides - Making an additional point; anyway
• Furthermore
• In addition
• Moreover
• Likewise
• Indeed – In truth
• In fact
• Also
• As well
• Foremost - Ranking above all others; Preceding all
others in spatial position
• First, Second, Third, Finally
• Firstly, Secondly, Thirdly
To indicate an example
• For example
• For instance
• In particular
• Particularly - Specifically or especially distinguished
from others
• Specifically
• To illustrate
• To demonstrate
To indicate a cause or reason
• Since
• Because
• Because of
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2. • Due to
• For
• For the reason that
• As
• Inasmuch as - Since
• Whereby - As a result of which, By which, "the means
whereby we achieved our goal"
To indicate a result or an effect
• Accordingly - because of the reason given
• Consequently
• Hence
• So
• Therefore
• Thus
• Thusly - In the way indicated
• Thence - From that fact or reason or as a result
• Therefrom - From that circumstance or source
• Thereof - Of or concerning this or that, From that
circumstance or source
• Corollary - A practical consequence that follows
naturally, "blind jealousy is a frequent corollary of
passionate love"
To conclude
• For the aforementioned reasons
• For the aforementioned reasons, there is no doubt that
• To sum up the foregoing,
• Given these facts
• In conclusion
• In closing
• To conclude
To express an opinion
• In all due fairness
• With good judgment, (one/we may)
To describe or make
• vivid
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3. • portray
• depict
• exhibit
• illustrate
• expose
• present
• paint a portrait
• limn - Trace the shape of, make a portrait of
• delineate
• represent
• demonstrate
• constitute - Form or compose
• embodied - (adj) Expressed by
• embody - (v) Represent or express in tangible form
• embodiment
To prove
• manifest - Provide evidence for; stand as proof of
• attest - Provide evidence for
• testify - Provide evidence for
• certify - Provide evidence for
• endorse, indorse - Give support or one's approval to
• shew - Establish the validity of something, as by an
example, explanation or experiment
• establish
• instance - (v) Clarify by giving an example of
• exemplify - (v) Clarify by giving an example of
To compare or contrast
• Whereas
• In comparison
• In contrast
• However
• Although
• On the other hand
• Likewise
• Similarly
• But
• Yet
• Withal - Despite anything to the contrary (usually
following a concession)
• Withal - Together with this
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4. • Nevertheless - Despite anything to the contrary
• Nonetheless - Despite anything to the contrary
• Notwithstanding - Despite anything to the contrary
• Even so - Despite anything to the contrary
• All the same - Despite anything to the contrary
To indicate time
• After
• Before
• Currently
• During
• Eventually
• Finally
• First, Second, etc.
• Formerly
• Immediately
• Initially
• Lastly
• Later
• Meanwhile
• Next
• Once
• Previously
• Simultaneously
• Soon
• Subsequently
• Subsequent - Following in time and order
• Hitherto, Heretofore - Used in negative statement to
describe a situation that has existed up to this point or
up to the present time, “The sun hasn’t rose
hitherto.”
• In due time
• Henceforth
To indicate certainty
• Truly
• Sincerely
• Genuinely
• Surely
• Rightfully
• Absolutely
• Indubitably
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5. • Certainly
• Without doubt
• Needless to say
To indicate doubt
• Most likely
• More likely
• Possibly
• Probably
• Dubitable - Open to doubt or suspicion
• Dubious - Distressed with uncertainty or doubt
To summarize
• Overall
• To summarize
• In summary
• To sum up
• Paraphrased
• Briefly
• In brief
• Summing up
• To put it briefly
• précis - A sketchy summary, Make a summary (of)
• synopsis - A sketchy summary
• apercu - A short synopsis
To provide a condition
• provision, proviso - A stipulated condition
• stipulate - Specify as a condition or requirement in a
contract
• given
• if
• whether
• whenever
• when
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6. • while
To express positive words
• magnificent
• grandeur - The quality of being magnificent or splendid
or grand, the quality of being exalted in character or
ideals or conduct
• magnanimous - The quality of being exalted in
character or ideals or conduct
• fantastic
• fantastical
• phenomenal
• wonderful
• extraordinary
• marvelous
• superb
• good
• fine
• great
• avid - Emotionally desirable
• avid ambition to succeed
• excellent
• spectacular
• prodigious
• grand
• brilliant
• glorious - Bringing great happiness and thankfulness
• illustrious - Widely known and esteemed
• notable - Worthy of notice
• respected
• impressive
• splendid
• splendiferous - Having great beauty and splendor
• resplendent - Having great beauty and splendor, Richly
and brilliantly colorful
• flamboyant - Elaborately or excessively ornamented,
Richly and brilliantly colorful
• redoubtable - Having or worthy of pride
• formidable - Extremely impressive in strength or
excellence
• prowess
• superior
• terrific
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7. • tremendous
• wondrous - Extraordinarily good
• wonderful
• sublime - Inspiring awe, Lifted up or set high
• flair - natural talent
• knack - A special way of doing something
• outshine - Attract more attention and praise than
others
• paramount - Having superior power and influence
• predominant
• preponderating
• prevailing
To show intelligence
• profound
• shrewd – hardheaded (practical experience and
observation) intelligence
• astute
• acumen - Shrewdness shown by keen insight
• insightful
• savvy - The cognitive condition of someone who
understands
• cognition - The psychological result of perception,
learning and reasoning
• genius
• smart
• sharp
• keen
• mastermind
• Einstein - Someone who has exceptional intellectual
ability and originality
• work of art
• fine art
• maven - Someone who is dazzlingly skilled in any field
• mavin - Someone who is dazzlingly skilled in any field
• adept - Someone who is dazzlingly skilled in any field
• whiz - Someone who is dazzlingly skilled in any field
• wizard - Someone who is dazzlingly skilled in any field
To intensify
• incredibly
• exceedingly
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8. • toppingly - extremely well
• extremely
• extraordinarily
• truly
• really
• very
• utterly - Completely and without qualification; used
informally as intensifiers, With sublimity; in a sublime
manner
• absolutely
• perfectly
• sublimely
• dramatically
• sheer - (adj.) Complete and without restriction or
qualification; sometimes used informally as an
intensifier; (adv.) Directly "he fell sheer into the water"
Said
• enounced, enunciated - Speak, pronounce, or utter in a
certain way
• pronounced - Speak, pronounce, or utter in a certain
way
• articulated - Express or state clearly
• vocalized - Express or state clearly
• posited - Put firmly
• stated
• expressed
• reported
• alleged - Declared but not proved
• averred - Report or maintain, To declare or affirm in a
grave manner and formally as true
• affirmed, asserted
• wrote
• composed
• indited - Produce a literary work
• penned - Produce a literary work
• spelt - Indicate or signify
• voiced, sounded - Give voice to
• demean - Reduce in worth or character, usually
verbally
Noted (said)
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9. • remarked
• denoted - Be a sign or indication of, "Her smile denoted
that she agreed"
• observed
• commented
• mentioned
• referred
• announced
• noticed
Precisely
• explicitly
• accurately
• expressly
• exactly
• incisively
Numerous
• innumerable
• many
• various
• several
• diverse
• umpteen
• umteen
• myriad (noun and adj.)
Praise
• extol - (v) Praise, glorify, or honor
• exalt
• glorify
• laud
• proclaim
• revere
• idolize
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10. • worship
• venerate
Call Forth
• evoke - Call forth (emotions, feelings, and responses)
• arouse - Call forth (emotions, feelings, and responses)
• elicit - Call forth (emotions, feelings, and responses)
• enkindle - Call forth (emotions, feelings, and
responses)
• provoke - Call forth (emotions, feelings, and
responses)
• inflame - Arouse or excite feelings and passions
• awake - Stop sleeping
• conjure - Evoke or call forth, with or as if by magic
• invoke - Evoke or call forth, with or as if by magic
• summon - Gather or bring together
• instill - deposit gradually
Source-http://www.pages.drexel.edu/~mfp27/improveyourwritingability/
II. Management Jargons
actionable (adj.)
Capable of being acted on or completed in the near future.
"Which items on our list are actionable in the next quarter?" I
recommend showering after using this one. Note: "actionable"
has a long-standing legal meaning different from the above.
at the end of the day
Based on the frequency with which they use the phrase, it
would seem that members of senior management are required
by law to begin every third sentence with "at the end of the
day," a phrase similar in meaning to "when all is said and done."
For instance, your favorite CEO might say, "At the end of the
day, it's our people that make the difference." Insert platitude here.
bandwidth (n.)
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11. Plan your work well lest ye run out of "bandwidth," or physical,
mental or emotional capacity. Spake our friend Frank B. Kern,
Internet Guru, "....I just don't have the bandwidth to handle this
at the minute," meaning "I don't have the manpower or ability to
handle this at the minute."
best of breed (n. and adj.)
The finest specimen or example to be found in a particular
industry or market. Like Papillons preening for the judges,
companies position themselves as best-of-breed. In truth,
however, few ever make it through the qualifiers.
best practices (n.)
Another widely used term promulgated by the arch-demons of
business - management consultants - "best practices" is used
to describe the "best" techniques or methods in use in a
company, field, or industry. Unfortunately, companies often
confuse latest or trendiest with best, and the best practices of
one era are soon superseded by the ever-more-ludicrous fads
of the next.
boil the ocean (v. phrase)
Clearly the least efficient way to produce a pile of salt. If a
member of the corporate pantheon suggests you are trying to
"boil the ocean," he or she thinks you are doing something
incredibly inefficiently. It's time to prepare your resume,
Einstein.
bring to the table (v. phrase)
Refers to what one offers or provides, especially in
negotiations. Personally, I bring a fork.
business model (n.)
An amorphous term having to do with identifying the specific
ways in which a business creates value, or simply put, how it
sells stuff for more than it costs. I'll show you my business plan
if you show me yours.
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12. buy-in (n.)
A cute way of saying "agreement" or "consent." If you hope to
get anything done in today's corporation, you'll need
management buy-in.
centers of excellence
Certainly beats centers of failure. Most companies have a nice
set of both.
circle back around (v.)
A very roundabout (pardon the pun) way of saying "Let's
regroup later to discuss."
circle with (v.)
Like its cousin "circle back around," it means "to meet and/or
discuss with." Usage example: "Why don't you circle with
Robert tomorrow to discuss the Ebbers case?" I can't help but
envision two well-dressed exec types holding hands and madly
circling around to the delight of everyone in their cubicle farm.
c-level (adj.)
Those modest, hardworking souls at the top of your org chart:
CEO, COO, CFO, CIO, CPO, CTO, Chief Dog Walker, etc.
close the loop (v. phrase)
To follow up on and/or close out an area of discussion. Closely
related to "circle back around" and "loop in."
commoditize (v.); commoditized (adj.)
A great fear and apprehension in business is having your
product or service become "commoditized," or turned into Just
Another Mediocre Piece of Junk (JAMPoJ to those in the
know), completely undifferentiated from its peers.
componentize (v.)
Nigh unpronounceable, this gremlin means "to turn into a
component." For what purpose will forever remain a mystery.
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13. core competencies (n.)
Simply put, it means "what the company does best." When a
company focuses on its core competencies, it gets back to
basics. I recommend leveraging these.
critical path (n.)
A sequence of events where a slip in any one activity
generates a slip in the overall schedule. Used extensively in the
exciting world of project management. Not to be confused with
"criminal path," which is a sequence of events that leads to jail,
a la Andy Fastow of Enron fame.
cycles (n.)
A reference to computer processing cycles, this one can be
used interchangeably with bandwidth. Either way, it's a bad
idea comparing yourself or another humanoid to an
indefatigable machine. You'll lose.
deliverables (n.)
Denoting project output or assignments, "deliverables" are
often "tasked" (see below), but seldom completed.
descope (v.)
Please see "scope" on page 2.
dial-in (v.)
Despite the obvious reference to a telephone, this one means
to "include." For example, "We need to dial-in the materials list."
dialogue (v.)
It's true that Shakespeare used "dialogue" as a verb ("Dost
Dialogue with thy shadow?"). But I've got news for ya, buddy:
You ain't no Shakespeare. Resist the temptation to use this
utterly superfluous verb as a substitute for "talk" or "speak."
Usage example: “Let’s dialogue telephonically via land line,"
meaning "call me at the office." Sigh.
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14. disintermediate
In the bleak days before the arrival of our savior, the Web, Big
Tony used to claim that he had "eliminated the middleman to
bring direct savings to you." Big Tony used a shotgun to
eliminate ("disintermediate") intermediaries in the supply chain;
today's companies use the Internet.
disambiguate (v.)
This mouthful began life in the exciting field of linguistics only to
be co-opted by the high-tech business set. It means to settle
on a single interpretation or meaning for a piece of data, or to
bring meaning and order to ambiguity. Much like this Web site.
disincent
The third member of the incent-incentivize-disincent axis of
evil.
drill-down (v.)
To get down to the details. One starts at a "high-level" and
"drills down" to the boring details - where exectutives fear to
tread.
drinking the kool-aid (v. phrase)
A rather tasteless reference to the Jonestown massacre of
1978, "drink the kool-aid" means to accept something fully and
(oftentimes) blindly.
driver (n.)
If you think this one has something to do with the people who
drive trucks, you're wrong (but I still like you). It refers to the
factors or agents that move something forward: "What are the
key drivers of organizational change?"
eat(ing) your own dog food (v. phrase) NEW!
When your company starts using its own products internally
and suddenly realizes why the rest of the world hates them so
much.
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15. ecosystem (n.) NEW!
Companies now longer participate in industries; they inhabit
vast ecosystems comprised of consumers, partners, innocent
bystanders, and, increasingly, competitors. The idea is to be at
the center of your ecosystem, so integral to its operations that
the actions of all other participants seem to benefit you as
much as them (also see Network Effects). But remember to
look out for lions.
elevator story (n.)
A pitch to a corporate executive, or bored janitor, as the
elevator goes from floors 1-10 and you have a captive
audience. Also the name of an upcoming Tom Hanks movie.
enabler (n.)
Like your dysfunctional family, business is full of enablers -
things that enable something else, often of a self-destructive
nature. For instance, were you aware that "Total Facilities
Management is a Core Business Enabler"? Weird, I wasn't
either.
end-to-end (adj.)
Seemingly naughty, this one means "complete, from the front-
end (the end that faces the customer) to the back-end (your
back office, which no one sees)." Try to avoid this one in mixed
company.
facetime (n.)
A foreign concept to many of us in the Internet world,
"facetime"refers to time spent speaking face to face, especially
to senior management. For example, “I need to arrange some
facetime with you next week.”
feature/scope creep (n.) AWESOME!
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16. The temptation to add more and more features to a product
release until it becomes a confused mass of incongruous
elements, twisted and evil.
functionality (n.)
Simply meaning "functions" or "features," this one has gained
widespread currency.
gain traction (v.)
To gain momentum or acceptance. "Cisco's new routers are
gaining traction in the marketplace."
going forward (adv.)
Meaning "in the future" or "from now on." For instance: "Going
forward, we see our gross margins increasing as our new
high-margin products gain traction."
granular (adj.); granularity (n.)
Getting down to the fine details, the nitty-gritty. Busy people
might stop you mid-sentence if you get too granular. Like sand
through an hourglass, these are the days of our lives.
go-live (adj. and v.)
A new product or system becomes available to the public on
its "go-live" date. Presumably, the same product or system will
"go-dead" soon thereafter.
heads-up (n. sorta)
"This is a heads-up" is a very American way of saying, "I'm
telling you this now because xyz item is hurdling in your
direction and you're going to need to do something or get out
of the way." It's simultaneously a notice and a warning.
helicopter view (n.)
See "at 30,000 feet".
high-level (adj.)
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17. Senior executives, far-sighted individual with godlike abilities to
see the big picture, want anything brought to their attention to
be "high-level", that is, neatly summarized and dumbed down
so they can understand all the techno mumbo jumbo.
incent (v. tr.)
A transitive verb meaning "encourage" or "influence": "The
program was set up to incent users to spend more." Also the
leading member of the incent-incentivize-disincent axis of evil.
incentivize (v. tr)
The second member of the incent-incentivize-disincent axis of
evil.
instantiate (v.)
The unholy offspring of "instant" and "substantiate," "instantiate"
means to verify or document an instance of a particular
behavior or issue.
leapfrog (v.)
To surpass your competition, usually by engaging in one
gigantic, hopelessly ambitious leap of faith that is almost sure
to end in ruin and despair. Bring a parachute, golden or other.
learnings (n.)
Word favored by consultant-types meaning "something
learned." Apparently, "lesson" wouldn't do despite 500 years of
continuous use in the English language.
leverage (v. tr)
The grandpappy of nouns turned verbs, "leverage" is used
indiscriminately to describe how a resource can be applied to a
particular environment or situation. "We intend to leverage our
investment in IT infrastructure across our business units to
drive profits."
level set (v.)
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18. To get everyone on the same page, singing from the same
choir sheet, etc. Why neither of these tired, but well-
understood perennials is good enough is beyond me. I guess
"level set" just has that I-am-slightly-smarter-than-you-all ring
to it.
long-pole item (n.)
Those of you who enjoy the occasional camping trip may
recognize the provenance of this one: The long pole holds up
the center of the tent and is therefore the most essential
structural item. Likewise, a "long-pole item" is the most
essential element of a system or plan, upon which all other
elements depend. A linchpin, as it were.
loop in (v.); keep in the loop (v. phrase)
Used by loopy people who mean to say, "to keep apprised."
low-hanging fruit (n.)
The easy pickings, the obvious steps that an organization
should take to improve its performance or take advantage of
new opportunities.
mindshare (n.)
Sorta like "marketshare," but without the revenue and sounding
a whole lot creepier. Don't use this one around Vulcans.
mission-critical (adj.)
Meaning "critical to the functioning or success of a business or
project," this one is generally used in reference in insanely
expensive computer hardware that should be bulletproof, but,
alas, is not.
modularize (v.)
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19. To turn into a training module. Say, you start off with a simple
piece of information that anyone with a 6th grade education
and a quartet of functioning brain cells would instantly grasp.
To justify your position as a highly paid corporate trainer, you
might try to veil this information in a cloak of
incomprehensibility, rendering the straightforward a smelly pile
of jargonous bile. Indeed, the information has been
modularized.
monetize (v.)
The noble mission of Web slingers everywhere: figuring out
how to make money off each page view, visitor (eyeballs), or
anything else. If you work at an Internet company, you've used
this term... don't lie. Hell, even I've used this term.
next steps (n.)
"Next steps" are the tasks delegated to attendees at the close
of a meeting. Next steps often result in deliverables. I believe
"next steps" and "action items" are synonymous. Do humanity a
favor and avoid both.
net-net (n.)
The end result, the bottom line, etc. ad infinitum, ad nauseam.
"Net-net, we're still ahead."
network effects (n.)
A wonderfully prosaic term from economics describing how
some products or services become more useful as the number
of users rises. Online auctions (eBay), operating systems
(Windows), and social networks (Facebook) are three oft-used
examples.
offline (adv.)
"Let's discuss this offline." Euphemism frequently uttered in
long office meetings meaning: "Let's discuss this later in
private because you're way off topic again, idiot."
operationalize (v.)
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20. A horribly polysyllabic way of saying "carry out" or (gasp) "do."
Oh, the humanity!
out of pocket (adj.)
Out of touch or out of the office for a few days.
paradigm [shift] (n.)
Paradigm is an extra fancy word for "model." A paradigm shift
means moving from one model to a new one, generally in a
grand, expensive, and ultimately disastrous manner. If I had a
pair of dimes for every time I've heard this one...
peel the onion (v. phrase)
To conduct a layer-by-layer analysis of a complex problem and
in the process, reduce yourself to tears.
performance management (n.)
A euphemistic way of saying to micro-manage, berate,
motivate, psychologically manipulate, threaten, and then fire
someone.
ping (v.)
A "repurposed" UNIX command meaning to send a message to
another computer and wait for acknowledgment, ping means
to follow up with someone via email on an urgent, but arcane
matter and wait interminably for a reply. "I'll ping Henry on the
Ewok matter."
proactive (adj.)
The modern-day antonym of "reactive." Rumor has it that this
gem was created in the 1970s out of the parts of lesser words.
productize (v.)
An fugly word meaning "turn into a product." Why should
software vendors offer free technical support when desperate
users will pay $3 a minute for help?
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21. programmatically (adv.)
If your people are too daft to do something correctly, maybe
you should look to software programs to automate the task. If
you follow this approach, you are completing the task
"programmatically." Ugh.
pushback (n.)
If you have a lot of sound, logical ideas, you're bound to run
into a lot of resistance in today's surreal corporations. This
resistance, often polite but always absurd, is euphemistically
called "pushback." Try not to take it personally: you're dealing
with the insane.
quick win (n.)
Everyone in business is always looking for "quick wins," small
steps or initiatives that will produce immediate, positive results.
ramp up (v.); ramp-up ( n.)
To increase over time. "We intend to ramp up production in
anticipation of holiday demand." Just try not to cramp up.
reach out (v.)
To call or email. For this one, we can blame those old AT&T
ads that encouraged folks to "reach out and touch someone."
Obviously, you can't actually reach out and TOUCH anyone due
to your company's stringent sexual-harrassent policy. But you
can "reach out" (but, again, no touching) to a co-worker for
information, support, or to start one of those crucial
conversations. But keep any interaction to a phone call or
email just to be on the safe side.
real-time (adj.)
Everyone probably has an intuitive understanding of what is
meant by "real-time," but that hasn't stopped many companies
and consultants from using the term to describe a quixotic
concept whereby a company's data is always up-to-date and
available to whomever needs it, whenever they need it.
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22. repurpose (v.)
To take a process or system designed for one task and use it
for another -- usually in way unforeseen by its creators. In the
fast-moving Internet economy, repurposing has become a
viable substitute for true innovation.
robust (adj.)
Typically used in reference to software, this classic means "not
buggy and not a huge waste of resources." Or more precisely,
something that works well even under extreme conditions.
roll out (v.); roll-out (n.)
Companies are constantly introducing new products and
services that you don't want or need. The elaborate process of
introducing something new is a "roll-out." The verb form is used
thusly: "We rolled this piece of crap out to the curbside."
rough order of magnitude (n.)
Fancy way of saying "to make a wild (ass) guess."
scalable (adj.)
Describes how flexible a system is in response to increases in
scale (number of users, hits, etc.). It might also have
something to do with mountain climbing.
scope (v.)
To set the scope of a product, i.e. to determine what
"functionality" will be included. After products are "scoped," they
are invariably "descoped" as reality reasserts itself.
seamless (adj.)
The holy grail with ERP and other complex systems is to
produce a "seamless end-to-end solution." The seams are the
bottomless pits of hell into which your data falls when
transferred from one end of the solution to the other. See also
the entries for "end-to-end" and "solution."
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23. skip-level (n.)
A meeting where big-shot execs ignore the normal corporate
hierarchy, jump down a level or two, and slum it with the plebs.
socialize (v.)
To share a document or plan within an organization, in the vain
hope of getting actionable feedback from your "peers." Also,
the act of taking Fido to the park to get him used to other
dogs.
solution (n.)
Companies no longer sell products or services; they sell
"solutions," which are products or services, but more
expensive.
soup to nuts (adj.)
To build every aspect of something from beginning to end. An
integrated approach. Oh, the hubris of it all.
space (n.)
The final frontier? Are you daft? No, just the niche or market
segment your company currently inhabits or hopes to enter.
Or, as your CEO might put it, "How can we leverage our core
competencies to enter the web-services space?"
special sauce / secret sauce (n.)
We can thank McDonald's for this one. It's used to refer to
anything proprietary.
surface (v.)
While many of our more jargon-illiterate readers might envision
submarines upon first hearing this word, it is used by
management professionals as a synonym of "raise," as in "raise
concerns." For instance: "I think we need to surface those
issues before the product is launched."
synergy (n.); synergize (v.)
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24. The (often illusory) value gained by combining two or more
companies or divisions. Also known as "economies of scope"
and "corporate merger BS."
takeaway (n.)
The essential points of a presentation, activity, etc. that the
author hopes you will "take away." Also has something to do
with food in the Queen's English.
take to the next level (v. phrase)
I used to know a guy with a Level 20 Wizard. But seriously, this
means to move a product, service, or organization from its
current level of dysfunction to the next level of dysfunction.
task (v. tr.)
Yet another noun turned verb, this one means "to assign." Now
go task someone with some deliverables.
30,000 feet, at
A high-level view or explanation. Please keep in mind that
oxygen is in short supply at this altitude, so you may
experience lightheadedness.
touch base (v.)
A naughty sounding gem, "to touch base" is simply a request to
meet again to discuss the current status of a project or task.
"Rebecca, I would like to touch base with you later to discuss
the Smith account." You gotta think this one leads to a lot of
lawsuits...
tps reports (n.)
Click here for a thorough explanation of TPS Reports.
traction (n.)
Something you should be trying to gain right now. See "Gain
Traction"
turnkey solution (n.)
1

25. Wouldn't it be great if you could buy a complex system or
piece of software, plug it in, flip a switch and be off and
running? Oh poor Odysseus, you have once again been
beguiled by the IT sirens' song. Keep dreaming.
value-add (n.)
What's the point? No, really, that's what it means.
value chain (n.)
As I find it impossible to define "value chain" without sullying
myself with the very thing that I abhor most (jargon, for those
of you keeping score), I've chosen to "borrow" from another
site a definition so preposterous that I just had to include it: "a
business methodology that helps companies manage
marketplace variability and complexity, and align company
strategies with execution processes." Thanks for clarifying!
value proposition (n.)
The unique set of benefits that you offer to customers to
sucker them into buying your product or service. Sometimes
shortened to "value prop," as in "What's your value prop?"
Word.
wet signature (n.)
I'm not sure I want to touch this one, but apparently this means
a human signature, as opposed to an electronic one. I mean,
do you plebs still sign stuff?
wetware (n.)
You, me, your grandma, everyone (assuming you're a carbon-
based life form). That is, a human-based solution, as opposed
to a hardware, or silicon-based, solution.
win-win
It's a win for us; it's a win for them. Everyone's happy and
drinking the Kool-Aid.
world-class (adj.)
1

26. Means you're best in class, a benchmark. If your product,
service or solution ain't world-class, you might as well close up
shop and go home. Luckily, everything at your corporation is
either world-class now, or will be by next quarter. Or at least
that's what management's been telling everyone.
Source- http://www.johnsmurf.com/jargon.htm
III- Exhaustive list of Management Jargons
Above-board [adj.] Honest and open. "I don't
think you're being totally
above-board with me."
Acluistic [adj.] The state of being
completely 'without a clue.'
Across the piece [exp.] Affecting an entire project
or organization. "We're
aiming for improvements in
efficiency across the
piece."
Submitted by Clive N.
Action [v.] To undertake a given task;
to put into practice. "Don't
bother me while I'm
actioning my deliverables."
Submitted by Ryan.
Action item [n.] A short term goal that
requires a measure of work
to complete. Basically a
dynamic, proactive version
of the things scribbled on
your 'to do' list.
1

27. Actionable [adj.] Originally a legal word
referring to anything that
affords grounds for a
lawsuit. Business people
have perverted it to mean
anything on which an action
can be taken.
Address [v.] Used as a replacement for
'do', 'tackle', or 'complete',
this word nicely avoids
making a commitment to
which the speaker can be
held accountable. "I will
address all of your
concerns in the upcoming
weeks."
Submitted by Russel H.
Adhocracy [n.] A minimally structured
business where teams are
formed as they are needed
to address specific
problems.
Administrivia [n.] A term that encompasses
all the trivial tasks that
management is far too
qualified to suffer through.
Adoption process [n.] The customer's steps along
the path from cautious
cynic to submissive
consumer of your product.
Agreeance [n.] A fancier way of saying
agreement. "Are we in
agreeance?"
1

28. Air it out [v.] To discuss an issue openly.
"I heard you had a problem
with some of our business
practices. Let's get your
team together and air it out
this afternoon."
Al Desco [adj.] Describes any meal eaten
at your desk (you have our
sympathies if it's dinner). "I
slept in so I'm having
breakfast Al Desco."
ALAP [adj.] As Late As Possible.
Describes meeting a
deadline at the last
possible moment in order
to avoid receiving additional
work. "I finished it last
week, but I'm going to
submit it ALAP."
Submitted by JC.
All-hands meeting [n.] A mandatory meeting for all
employees. "Bob called an
all-hands meeting this
afternoon. It's never a good
sign when he's willing to
freeze the whole
department for an hour."
Let the navy keep the
nautical slang.
Alpha geek [n.] The head of your
company's IT department.
Alpha pup [n.] Trendsetting young people.
Important targets for
marketing to this age
1

29. group. "Let's get six alpha
pups in here for a focus
group."
Amped [adj.] Having a large amount of
excitement and energy.
"I'm so amped about this
new product line."
Anacronym [n.] An acronym that is so old,
no one remembers the
original phrase. Examples
include RADAR, ASCII, and
SNAFU.
Anecgloat [n.] A story of one's exploits
that is intended to impress.
May be partly fictional.
Anointed [n.] An employee that can't
seem to do anything wrong
in the eyes of management.
Anonymize [v.] To make anonymous.
Anticipointment [n.] The feeling that something
didn't live up to its hype.
Apple polish [v.] To suck-up, flatter.
Armchair general [n.] Someone who speaks
critically, but has no
experience in the field in
question.
Arrows to fire [exp.] Points to use in an
argument. "Now if you don't
have anymore arrows to
fire, I think we're finished
1

30. here."
Assignment capsule [n.] A clearly defined job
description or task. "Stop
arguing about objectives
and start handing out
assignment capsules."
Assmosis [v.] The apparent absorption of
success that comes from
sucking up.
At this juncture [exp.] Now. "We're not prepared
to go public at this
juncture."
Availability [n.] A convenient way of
separating the individual
from the ability to manage
her own time. "I'd love to
come, but I'm not sure
about my availability,
grandma."
Submitted by Sam K.
B-school [n.] Business school. "We were
tight back in b-school."
Back door [adj.] Unethical or dishonest.
Back-of-the-envelope [a Has been heard describing
dj.] anything completed in a
quick, casual manner,
although it most often
references the informal
calculations made by
engineering and finance
1

31. types.
Bad paper [n.] A payment made in
worthless currency (cash
or cheque).
Bag of snakes [n.] A business situation with
many unexpected
problems.
Bait and switch [v.] To advertise low priced
items that aren't actually
available.
Baked-in [adj.] Included. "Those options
are already baked in with
this model."
Ballpark [v.] To make an estimate. "Can
you ballpark the cost per
unit for me?"
Thanks to Alden C. for the correction.
Band-aid [v.] To apply a trivial solution to
a problem. "We'll band-aid
the situation for now."
Bandwidth [n.] The physical and mental
limit of your working ability.
"I don't have the bandwidth
for another project right
now." Let the techies keep
this word, seriously.
Bang for the buck [n.] The return on invested
money.
Bangalored [v.] Having been fired after
your position was
1

32. transferred to India. "Last
month they bangalored our
entire tech support
department."
Bankroll [v.] To finance. "We can't afford
to bankroll another
research project in this
area."
Banner year [n.] The best year in history for
a given firm. Most likely,
you're not having one of
these.
Barnburner [n.] An exciting situation.
Base-tending [v.] To guard one's assets.
Bat a thousand [exp.] A baseball term meaning a
100% success rate.
Batting average [n.] Indicates the percentage of
time that someone or
something is successful.
"We need to bring up our
batting average in the
overseas market."
Battle rhythm [n.] A logistical plan. "We're not
leaving that conference
room until we establish a
battle rhythm for this
project."
Submitted by Dan.
Bean-counter [n.] A derogatory term for an
accountant. "The bean-
1

33. counters are coming in for
another audit next week."
Beat the bushes [v.] Marketing to
unconventional or rural
areas.
Beauty contest [n.] A competitive pitching
situation. "Bring in the next
firm; I want to wrap up this
beauty contest before my 4
o'clock tee off."
Submitted by Crazy Renee.
Beef up [v.] To make stronger.
Behind the eight In a difficult position.
ball [exp.]
Bell [n.] A phone call. "Give us a bell
before you leave work
today."
Submitted by Vicki D.
Bell ringer [n.] A door to door salesman.
Belts and Proceeding with an
suspenders [exp.] overabundance of caution.
"Make sure we're belts and
suspenders before those
quotes go out."
Submitted by Crazy Renee.
Best in breed [adj.] Alleged or perceived
superior quality among
similar products offered by
competing companies.
Generally used as an
1

34. excuse to explain a
noticeable price difference.
“We’ve always
specialized in bringing
products to the market that
are best in breed.”
Best practices [n.] Procedures and policies
that have shown to be the
most effective.
Betamaxed [adj.] When a product has been
overtaken by an inferior,
but well marketed
alternative.
Big enchilada [n.] An important person within
an organization.
Big learn [n.] The process of gaining
skills that are difficult to
master. "We know things
didn't go very well, but you
have to remember that it's
been a big learn for us all."
Submitted by Russell H.
Birdtable [v.] To meet and discuss an
issue before assigning
tasks. "We'll birdtable the
new schedule tomorrow."
Submitted by Steve S.
Black box [n.] New and unfamiliar
technology about which
uninformed decisions are
often made.
Blamestorming [v.] Meeting to discuss a failure
1

35. and find a scapegoat.
Bleed [v.] Extract a large sum of
money from an
organization or individual.
Bleeding-edge [adj.] Something even more
current than the 'cutting-
edge'. Reserved for only
the most novel (read:
hyped) technologies.
Bloatation [v.] Filling non-essential
positions instead of core
staff. Usually occurs just
before bankruptcy.
Blow by blow [exp.] To cover all the details.
Blow hot and cold [v.] To frequently change one's
mind.
Blow-in [n.] Advertising materials
inserted between the
pages of a magazine that
you'll spend 10 minutes
removing before it's
readable.
Blue hairs [exp.] A derogatory term for a
female seniors.
Blue money [n.] Funds spent quickly and
recklessly.
Submitted by Yuri
Blue ocean [n.] A metaphor for the wider,
deeper potential of market
space that is not yet
1

36. explored. "I look at the
sales opportunities in front
of you clowns, and all I see
is blue, blue ocean."
Suggested by Indranil.
Blue-sky thinking [n.] A thought exercise where
any possibility is
considered.
Sumbitted by Patti
BOHICA [exp.] Bend Over Here It Comes
Again.
Boiler room [n.] A sales firm with
questionable practices.
Boiling the frog [v.] The art of managing
change so smoothly that it
goes unnoticed. From the
overused, possibly bogus
cliché claiming that frogs
will jump directly out of
boiling water, but will
happily perish when heated
slowly.
Submitted by Jeff I.
Boiling the ocean [v.] Attempting to do something
with too broad a scope.
This is generally in
reference to a project or
initiative to avoid. "The
client is living a pipe dream;
when are they going to
stop trying to boil the
ocean?"
Submitted by w3.
1

37. Book the goods [v.] A really slick way of saying
'place an order.' "Make
sure you book the goods
before you take off this
afternoon."
Boondoggle [n.] An unethical use of public
money.
Boot camp [n.] A company training
program.
Boot strap business [n.] A company started with
very little capital.
Bottom fishing [v.] Purchasing stocks that
have a very low value.
Bottom line it [exp.] To summarize. "I don't have
time to read your progress
report. Can you bottom line
it for me?"
Submitted by Linda
Bounce [v.] To be removed forcefully,
fired.
Bouncebackability [n.] The ability to reverse a
losing situation and then
succeed.
Submitted by Paul G.
Bow wave [n.] The initial effects caused by
upper management
changes. "The bow wave
might hit them a little hard,
but they'll get over it."
Submitted by Guy from Melbourne.
1

38. Brain dump [v.] To extract the knowledge
of an expert employee for
the benefit of others.
Brandatories [n.] All of the branding
elements that must be
included in a given ad or
campaign. "Make sure the
brandatories are in place
before the shoot begins."
Submitted by Andy B.
Brass tacks [n.] 1) Fundamental business
information or practices.
"We need to scale back R &
D and get back to brass
tacks."
2) The raw material
required for a company's
core products.
Submitted by Pulkit B.
Break your To harm or insult another
crayons [exp.] person. "I don't mean to
break your crayons, but
your performance has been
terrible lately."
Brick and A business with a physical
mortar [adj.] location and building, as
opposed to the basements
and garages that most
online retailers ship from.
Bricks-to-clicks [exp.] When a traditional company
realizes that a website is
necessary to stay
competitive.
1

39. Bring to the The contribution (or lack
table [exp.] thereof) that one makes to
a group. "What do you feel
you would bring to the table
if you were hired for this
position?"
Bronx cheer [n.] A loud sound expressing
dislike, made by sticking
out your tongue and
blowing; a raspberry.
Thanks to Rod for the correction.
Brown-bag [v.] To discuss a topic at a later
time, over lunch. "Let's
brown-bag your idea and
get this meeting back on
track."
Submitted by Ben.
Bubble it up [v.] To send an issue to the
next-higher level of
management. "I've noted
your concern and I'll bubble
it up before the end of the
week."
Submitted by Charley O.
Bucket shop [n.] A place where questionable
deals occur.
Bucketize [v.] To organize information into
logical groups. "Let's take a
moment to bucketize our
ideas." Horrendous.
Submitted by Mo.
Build [n.] Borrowed from software
types, this term has been
1

40. heard referencing a
revision or addition to a
piece of text. "Still working
on that report? Make sure I
have the latest build by this
afternoon."
Submitted by Q.
Bullish [adj.] To be in favour of. "I'm
feeling bullish about this
new product."
Burn rate [n.] The speed at which a
resource (usually cash) is
being used up in a given
company or project. "We
need to get our burn rate
under control, so we're
letting a few of you go."
Bush league [adj.] A baseball reference
describing anything
amateurish or
unprofessional. "That bush
league secretary hung up
on our biggest client while
putting him on hold."
Thanks to Ed L. for the correction.
Business-end [n.] The part of an object that
performs an action. "I
looked up from my desk
and found myself staring
down the business-end of a
9 millimeter."
Business-macho [adj.] Describes a male office
worker with his shirt
opened too far at the neck
1

41. -- at least one button
beyond what could be
considered business
casual. Often accented
with tufts of chest hair and/
or gold chains.
Submitted by David R.
Business-provocative [a Work attire that is sexy to
dj.] the point of being
inappropriate. "I see Kim
has decided that the dress
code for today is business-
provocative."
Buy-in [exp.] To agree with a particular
position. "How can we
obtain management buy-in
on this idea?"
Buzz [n.] Excited discussion in the
media and between
individuals. Closely linked to
word-of-mouth advertising.
Buzzworthy [adj.] A novel idea or product that
has the potential to
generate public interest in
its own right. "These
proposals are all terrible.
Why can't you morons
come up with something
buzzworthy?"
1

42. C-level [adj.] Describes the people at the
top of a company that get
fancy 'C' titles such as
C.E.O., C.F.O., C.O.O.
Cabinet condom [n.] Tape applied to the button
of a filing cabinet to prevent
it from being locked (since
the key has long since
disappeared.)
Cafeteria plan [n.] A package of benefits that
allows the employee to
make choices.
Calendar tickler [n.] A calendar entry with a
reminder alarm. Usually
1

43. sent as an Outlook meeting
request. "Put a tickler on
my calendar so I won't
forget to join the call."
Submitted by Erika S.
Call on the carpet [v.] To discipline.
Can I stir fry an idea in Could I have your opinion
your think- on this issue?
Credited to David A.
wok? [exp.]
Cannibalize [v.] To launch a new product
that takes market share
away from one's own
established products.
Thanks to Dwayne S. for the
correction.
Capsizing [v.] Laying-off employees
(downsizing) to the point
where an organization can
no longer function.
Career Limiting Move An action or comment that
(CLM) [n.] could hinder the future
progression of one's
career.
Career suicide [n.] An action that causes you
to lose both your current
1

44. job, and any chance you'll
find another one in your
field. "If you blow the
whistle on this operation,
it'll be career suicide."
Carpool tunnel The semi-conscious state
syndrome [n.] that is the result of
repeated early morning ride
sharing.
Carrots and sticks [n.] Incentives. "If we're going
to make this sale, we need
a few more carrots and
sticks."
Carte blanche [exp.] The freedom to make any
and all decisions.
CFO [n.] Chief Finagle Officer. The
person who's responsible
for manipulating a
company's finances to
avoid legal penalties.
Chainsaw An individual brought in to
consultant [n.] do management's dirty
work at lay-off time.
Change agent [n.] A clever title for a
consultant (or employee)
who sees himself as a
1

45. catalyst for improvement.
Often involves encouraging
the adoption of new
technologies.
Change The act of guiding a
management [v.] company through internal
or external changes.
Submitted by Clive N.
Charm school [n.] A derogatory term for new
manager training. "After the
harassment case, my boss
was shipped off to charm
school."
Chartists [n.] Market analysts who have
made a career of graphing
financial data.
Chasing down Placing sales calls to
smokestacks [exp.] industrial companies.
Checked Eskimo [v.] When a clearly unqualified
individual lands a job or
promotion they should have
had no chance at getting,
that person must have
"Checked Eskimo" on the
application.
Submitted by David.
1

46. Cheese chew [v.] Performing an unwelcome
chore to please another.
Submitted by Rob T.
Chicken shop [n.] A department or company
that produces substandard
work. "Their parts had a
20% scrap rate last
quarter. I'm never dealing
with that chicken shop
again."
Submitted by Rod SW.
Chinese wall [exp.] Procedures to guard
information.
Circle-back [v.] Revisiting an issue after it
has been addressed. Using
this one habitually could
lead you to say something
like, "I'm heading to lunch
now, but we'll circle-back
later."
Submitted by Randi.
Circular file [n.] The garbage can. "Toss
that company newsletter in
the circular file for me."
Cleans up well [adj.] Describes a technician or
software developer who
can actually speak with the
customer without
1

47. embarrassing the
company.
Clocksucker [n.] A completely unproductive
employee; a waste of
company money.
Submitted by Lee.
Close of play [n.] The deadline for the
submission of an order or
application, as spoken in
parts of the world where
cricket lingo and business
jargon are equally familiar.
Suggested by Bill F.
COB [n.] Close Of Business. That
magic moment that comes
but once each day --
quitting time.
Submitted by our spies at a Fortune
100.
Column-shaking [v.] Threatening to uproot the
traditions (or bad habits) of
a company, usually with
new and unconventional
ideas.
Come to Jesus A term of southern
meeting [n.] American origin that refers
to a serious meeting with
an individual or team.
1

48. These meetings often
involve ultimatums for
performance improvement.
Submitted by aclassicgirl.
Commonplate [v.] To present a topic for
consideration, so that all
members of a group have
the same information
(ostensibly, as if everyone
were eating from a
'common plate'). "Now that
I've commonplated the
issue, can we come to a
reasonable decision?"
Community The shared assets of a
property [n.] married couple.
Comp [adj.] The cool way to say
complimentary.
Contrarian [n.] An investor who makes
decisions in opposition to
mainstream ideas.
Cook the books [v.] A fraudulent attempt to
falsify company records.
Cookie-cutter [adj.] A generic person, product
or approach. "I'm so tired of
1

49. these cookie-cutter
business grads. When are
we going to find someone
with a brain in their head?"
Cooperative A classic management
competition [n.] oxymoron presumably
referring to mutual benefits
experienced by two
competing firms.
Coopetition [n.] The ruthless struggle
between an organization's
departments for limited
budget dollars, staff and
equipment, despite the fact
that everyone involved
should be supporting the
overall mission. Symptoms
include the hoarding of
copy paper, conference
room time-slots, and the IT
guy.
Suggested by Aidan.
Core competencies [n.] A company's most
successful skills and
activities. Often leveraged.
Cost containment [n.] An attempt to reduce
expenditures.
1

50. Counterposing [v.] When ground-level staff
outwit management by
using more jargon, more
pointless questions, and
more vague commitments
than their superiors.
Submitted by Captn Freedom.
Covered-off [adj.] Describes something that
has been completed or
otherwise taken care of.
"Let's make sure those
requirements are covered-
off."
Submitted by Garry.
Cowboy [n.] A worker that is difficult to
supervise.
CPB [v.] Conducting Personal
Business. Using company
resources and time for
things that aren't work-
related (there's a good
chance you're doing it right
now).
CPS [n.] Cheap Plastic S***.
Promotional items (often
made of plastic) distributed
through advertising,
corporate gifts, trade
shows, or other give-away
1

51. programs.
Submitted by Jocelyn S.
Critical mass [n.] 1) The point reached by a
new idea or product just
prior to explosive market
growth.
2) The point when an issue
can no longer be avoided
and must be addressed
immediately.
Criticality [n.] An extreme level of
importance. Whatever your
colleague meant, there's a
good chance she's not
talking about a nuclear
accident. "I cannot
emphasize the criticality of
this issue enough."
Submitted by Shane H.
Cronyism [n.] Playing favourites among
close associates.
Cross sabers [v.] To have a conflict.
Cross-pollination [n.] The generation of ideas
that can occur when
individuals from diverse
backgrounds are brought
together. "By removing
1

52. your cubicle walls, we hope
to cultivate the opportunity
for cross-pollination."
Cross-training [v.] Learning a colleague's job
so you can perform it, in
addition to your own, when
they disappear during
vacation, maternity leave,
or the latest round of
layoffs.
Submitted by Isabella.
Cubicle vultures [n.] Those who gather office
supplies from the desk of a
fired co-woker.
Cut the To perform adequately.
mustard [exp.]
CYA [v.] Cover Your Ass. To
exercise caution to avoid
blame. "You better CYA on
this one. We can't afford
the bad press."
Cybernate [v.] To control via a computer.
Cyberslacking [v.] Wasting company time by
casually browsing the
Internet or instant
1

53. messaging.
Submitted by Mike.
Cycle [n.] An employee's time,
broken down into sections.
"I'll have to check if she has
any available cycles for this
task."
Submitted by Renee.
D-PAD [v.] Downloading Porn All Day.
When an employee has
nothing to do. "Now that the
project is finished, I'm
looking forward to a little D-
PAD."
Submitted by minorfall.
Data-point [n.] An area of factual inquiry.
Submitted by Joe O.
De-integrate [v.] To disassemble. "We're
going to have to de-
integrate the entire
assembly and start from
scratch."
De-layering [v.] An excuse to fire every
other link in the chain
without reducing the total
workload. (see also,
Empowerment)
Submitted by Jane W.
De-tune [v.] To minimize in style or
1

54. message. Synonym: tone-
down. "You really need to
de-tune those hideous
slides."
Submitted by Natalie R.
Dead stick [adj.] Describes a project that
has lost momentum. This is
an aviation term used when
a plane is on the verge of
losing control.
Submitted by Derrick.
Dead wood [n.] An employee that no longer
contributes anything
meaningful to an
organization.
Deceptionist [n.] A receptionist whose job is
actually to delay or block
potential visitors. Ruthless
with a polite, perfect smile.
Deck [n.] A PowerPoint slide
presentation. "Clean up
those slides before you
even think about running
that deck again."
Submitted by Gomo.
Decruit [v.] A clever euphemism for
firing senior employees.
"The board is pushing for
decruitment."
Submitted by Amanda G.
Deep dive [n.] An in-depth study.
1

55. Deep pockets [n.] Rich investors. "We need to
get a few more deep
pockets involved in this
venture."
Deep six [exp.] A military term meaning 'to
dispose of.'
Deferred success [n.] A term used to postpone
the declaration of failure, as
if a positive result is
guaranteed (just not right
now). "The project was a
deferred success; we're
confident that things will
pick up in the next quarter."
Submitted by Aidan.
Dehire [v.] To fire.
Deja moo [exp.] The nagging feeling that
you've heard this BS
before.
Delagatorship [n.] A business entity run by
someone incapable of
decision-making.
Submitted by Matt F.
Deliver the goods [v.] To come through on an
agreement.
Deselect [v.] To fire or let go. "We need
to deselect 5 people from
your department to meet
our cost targets for the
year."
Submitted by Don.
1

56. Desk dive [n.] The painful crawl
underneath your desk to
unplug equipment or fetch
a dropped item. Often
accompanied by a few
grunts if one is overweight.
Submitted by Jessica.
Desk jockey [exp.] An office worker. If you're
enjoying yourself here, this
might be a good name for
you.
Deskfast [n.] Breakfast eaten at your
desk.
Dial and smile [n.] Phone calls intended to
recruit new customers.
Dial-in [v.] A simply terrible way to say
'include'. "I'd like to dial-in
the marketing department
on this one."
Dialogue [v.] To have a conversation.
Another innocent noun
turned into a painful verb,
"Let's dialogue later about
the Miller account."
Dialogue marketing [n.] A marketing strategy that
intends to create a rapport
with the customer.
Different breed [adj.] Something unusual. It is
often used as a derogatory
reference to a person.
Digerati [n.] An elite group of people
1

57. that know more about
computers than you ever
will.
Dime store [n.] A business selling very
cheap items.
DINK [n.] Double Income, No Kids.
Dinosaur [n.] A long-term company
employee whose extensive
experience is only
surpassed by his
resistance to change.
Submitted by Aaron D.
Dirty laundry [n.] Questionable business
practices or materials that
an organization would
prefer to remain
undisclosed.
Dirty pool [exp.] Unethical practices. "Her
lawyers are really playing
dirty pool on this one."
Disambiguate [v.] An ironic 5-syllable word
used in place of 'clarify.'
Disconnect [n.] An inconsistency or
problem. Yet another
example of the business
world making a terrible
noun out of a perfectly
good verb.
Disimpress [v.] To reverse a favourable
impression with
subsequent behaviour. "We
1

58. liked him after the first
interview, but he really
disimpressed us in the
second round."
Submitted by Jason I.
Disincentivize [v.] To eliminate the motivation
to make a particular choice.
Use this one at your own
risk.
Disintermediate [v.] The process of removing
the middle man. Lord help
us.
Doability [adj.] Used to describe whether
an activity can be
undertaken. "I need to
confirm the doability of that
request."
Submitted by Beneboy
Dog [n.] A badly performing product
or company.
Dog and pony show [n.] A presentation that's
insultingly simplistic.
Dogfooding [v.] The practice of forcing
developers to use their
own product (or 'eat their
own dog food') to
understand what the
customer is subjected to.
One step further than
product testing, this is
often a good cure for
engineering arrogance.
Submitted by Programmer Type.
1

59. DOMA [exp.] Die Or Move Away. One
way in which to lose
customers.
DOMO [exp.] DOwnwardly MObile. A
young person who changes
their priorities and quits a
high paying, demanding
position.
Don't f*** with Blunt advice about avoiding
payroll [exp.] romantic or sexual
relationships with co-
workers.
Submitted by Max
Don't fight the Don't oppose what the
tape [exp.] market dictates.
Dopeler effect [exp.] The principle that stupid
ideas sound better when
they come at you quickly.
Double dip [v.] To retire, but then start
another career.
Double-time [exp.] A military term meaning to
act quickly. "Get that
invoice out double-time!"
Dovetail [v.] To expand upon a fellow
employee's idea. Claiming
it as your own is optional.
Submitted by Johnny P.
Down and dirty [adj.] To perform a task quickly
without an immediate
consideration of quality.
1

60. Down round [n.] A period in which a
company's value is
decreasing in the eyes of
investors.
Downsize [v.] To reduce the size of a
workforce. Often begins
with requests for voluntary
resignations and ends with
a series of layoffs.
Drill down [v.] To look into thoroughly.
"Let's meet this afternoon
and drill down on this one."
Drink from the To be inundated with
firehose [v.] information.
Submitted by Crazy Renee.
Drink the Kool-aid [v.] To accept company policy
without question.
Drive beyond the To get ahead of oneself.
headlights [v.] "Stop me if I'm driving
beyond my headlights here,
but I want to share an
amazing home-based
business with you that
could change your life."
Submitted by Crazy Renee.
Drop-dead date [n.] The REAL deadline. Missing
it often means dire
consequences.
Dub-dub-dub [n.] A quicker (and nerdier) way
to refer to the beginning of
a website address or the
world wide web in general.
1

61. "You have to check out
dub-dub-dub dot..."
Submitted by Chandra C.
Duck shove [AUS-n.] The act of passing an
undesirable job or inquiry to
an unsuspecting third party.
"I just duck shoved all the
paperwork to Jonathon."
Duck shuffler [n.] Someone who disrupts
your affairs after you've
finally gotten all your 'ducks
in a row.'
Ducks in a row [exp.] To become organized.
Due Diligence [n.] The thoroughness required
to ensure success in
business decision-making.
Submitted by Pulkit B.
Ear candy [n.] Flattery.
Ear job [n.] The act of passing on some
juicy company gossip
verbally, and in private. "I'm
just running into a meeting,
but I'll give you an ear job
later."
Submitted by Randi H.
Easy mark [n.] A person that is not difficult
to cheat.
Eat a reality An 'action' necessary when
one's ideas are completely
1

62. sandwich [exp.] inappropriate for the given
situation. "I can't believe
your last suggestion. You
better eat a reality
sandwich before you walk
back in that boardroom."
Eat the frog [v.] To complete an unpleasant
job that has been well
procrastinated. "Just eat
the frog and get on with it!"
Submitted by Emma-Dawn L.
Econometrics [n.] Known by consultants to be
the act of simply plugging
numbers into a pre-made
spreadsheet, yet externally
marketed (to those will not
ask detailed questions) as
a highly scientific analytic
modeling exercise
performed by economists
and industry-specific
experts.
Ego surfing [v.] Searching the web for
references to yourself.
Come on, you know you've
tried it.
Eighty-six [v.] To dispose of. "We have to
eighty-six these documents
or we'll all be crucified."
Elephants [n.] Large investment groups
that tend to move together.
Eleventh hour [exp.] The last moment.
1

63. Empty suits [n.] Unthinking middle
management.
Enabler [n.] Something that must be in
place before something
else can occur.
Enail [n.] An email sent for the sole
purpose of making a point
in writing, usually at
another person's expense.
Most effective when cc'ed
to as many senior people
as possible.
Submitted by Ian C.
Enthuse [v.] To inspire enthusiasm (or
attempt to). "I'm still looking
for a way to enthuse the
new hires."
Submitted indirectly by Andy P.
EPON [n.] Endless Pit Of Need. A
colleague who continually
seeks support for their
ongoing personal and
professional problems.
Submitted by M. Schroeder.
Evangelize [v.] To promote a product with
the enthusiasm of a true
believer. "We need
distributors to evangelize
the new line in the local
markets."
Submitted by Nicky T.
Even dead cats Even worthless things can
rise in value again.
1

64. bounce [exp.]
Exploding offer [n.] A job offer that expires
after a certain date.
Extract the max [v.] To achieve the highest level
of productivity possible
while directing a group of
people. "I hope my
management style will
extract the max from each
and every one of you."
Extrapediately [adv.] Faster than ASAP and
quicker than STAT, this
made-up word is saved for
when a task must be
accomplished almost
instantaneously.
Submitted by CM & JC.
Extraview [n.] A second interview you feel
obliged to hold even though
the position has already
been filled. Can also be
scheduled when the
candidate is just so damn
hot.
F2F [exp.] A really cute way of saying
face-to-face.
Face time [n.] 1) The opportunity to sit
down to discuss an issue in
person. "I've been trying to
get a little face time with
1

65. the boss to go over this
proposal, but she keeps
blowing me off."
2) Unproductive time spent
at the office meant to
project the image that
you're a hardworking
employee.
Updated by Randi H.
Facipulate [v.] An unfortunate mix of
'facilitate' and 'manipulate',
this contrived verb refers to
influencing the course of a
discussion by indirectly
promoting particular lines
of thought.
Submitted by Ed T.
Fact pattern [n.] A set of supporting
evidence. "Mary keeps
calling in sick on the day of
the sales presentations.
Interesting fact pattern,
don't you think?"
Submitted by Bob S.
Fairy dust [n.] The finishing touches on a
project. "Sprinkle the fairy
dust on that one for me, will
ya?"
Submitted by Steve B.
Fall guy [n.] A scapegoat. After the
buck is passed through the
entire organization, it stops
at this unfortunate person.
Fallen angels [n.] Investments that once
1

66. performed well but have
declined in value.
Featherbedding [v.] Keeping jobs that aren't
needed in order to please
the union.
Feature creep [v.] The tendency to continually
add more features during
the development of a
product.
Feeding frenzy [n.] Intense buying by
consumers.
Fenestration [n.] Windows. Please, please
just say windows. "This 10th
floor rental unit has
excellent fenestration."
File thirteen [n.] The garbage can.
Finger-of-blame [n.] An arbitrary method for
selecting the person who
will take responsibility for a
mistake. Used most
accurately when the blame
is out of proportion with the
actual error. "Uh-oh... the
finger-of-blame finds ...
YOU!"
Submitted by DJ.
Fire away [exp.] Proceed whenever you're
ready.
Fire fighting [v.] Addressing a problem that
must be solved
immediately. "We've been
1

67. fire fighting since last
quarter's numbers were
released."
Fish or cut bait [exp.] To be forced to make a
decision. "We're getting to
the point where we have to
either fish or cut bait on this
one."
Fishbowl [exp.] To be in the public
spotlight.
Fishing expedition [n.] 1) A fact-finding mission.
2) A concerted effort to find
something -- anything --
wrong.
Submitted by Vic P.
Fit for purpose [adj.] Any good. "We need to
evaluate whether this new
software is fit for purpose."
Submitted by Sue A.
Flight risk [n.] An employee that is
thought to be considering
quitting.
Flub [v.] To miss.
Fluff it and fly it [v.] To make cosmetic
improvements and then sell
an item.
Flunky [n.] A worker at the bottom of
the corporate food chain.
Flush [adj.] Possessing a large amount
of money.
1

68. Flying circus [n.] A flight by company
management to inspect
local operations.
Food chain [n.] An organization's hierarchy.
"I'm going to send this up
the food chain for
approval."
Submitted by D Ochoa.
Foot on the ball Borrowed from football, this
time [UK-n.] is a chance to pause and
gain control of a situation.
"If you don't give me a little
more foot on the ball time,
I'm going to blow this
presentation."
Submitted by Sean.
Foreseeable future [n.] A conveniently flexible
period of upcoming time
that is often spoken about
by management.
Former life [n.] A clever way for speakers
to refer to prior career
positions. Most hilarious
when their current job is
drastically different in terms
of field or seniority level. "In
a former life, I sold
insurance door-to-door."
Suggested by Sam M.
Free cell [n.] An empty cubicle that was
formerly inhabited by
someone who played one
too many games of Free
Cell.
1

69. Submitted by JC.
Free lunch [n.] Something for nothing.
Free seminar [n.] A sales presentation
disguised as useful
information.
Front burner [n.] The opposite of back
burner, obviously.
Reserved for the most
pressing matters. Please
just don't use either.
FUBAR [adj.] F***ed Up Beyond All
Repair.
FUD factor [n.] The amount of Fear,
Uncertainty, and Doubt
created in a customer
during the sales process
(which is then conveniently
addressed by your product
or service).
Submitted by David R.
Full optics [n.] A complete view. "We don't
have full optics on the
situation presently."
Submitted by BT.
Full-court press [n.] A term borrowed from
basketball that is used to
describe a maximum effort.
"If we're going to regain our
market share, we need a
full-court press from your
sales staff."
1