I despise jargon. I find jargon makes communication less clear and tries to make the speaker sound impressive.
I found this list of jargon words on the internet.
Bandwidth Capacity
Bleeding edge New or innovative feature
Blue sky thinking Brainstorm without limits
Boil the ocean Trying to accomplish too much
Circle back Revisit
Deep dive Examine
Due Diligence Research
Empower Give authority or agency
First and foremost Use one word or the other (its repetitive)
Fully baked Completely thought through
Gain traction Move toward the desired goal
Game changer New event, idea, process
Get our ducks in a row Have everything completed
Giving 110% Do your best work
Heavy lifting Difficult duty or task
Ill ping you Ill follow up
Irregardless Its not even a word
Leverage Use
Lipstick on a pig Make this situation look better
Lots of moving parts Complex situation with changing details
Low-hanging fruit Lets start with the easy tasks first
Magic bullet Solution to a complex problem
Mission-critical Unless you work at NASA
Move the needle Make progress
New normal New conditions, environment, expectation
Open the kimono Share information
Paradigm shift Think about this differently
Parking lot issue Items to discuss later
Pivot Change directions
Pull the trigger Take action
Put a pin in it Save it for later
Raise the bar Improve
Reinvent the wheel Change the process
Run it up the flagpole Ask management or leadership
Strategic partnership Simply use the partnership, as all partnerships should be strategic.
Synergy Collaboration
Thinking outside the box New idea or thought
Thought leader Expert or authority
Top of mind Most important idea or thought
Win-win Good for both parties
I do like “boil the ocean” - quite the image! (and, if climate change heats the oceans enough, might happen - grin). Many of these are more wordy than their meaning, and (in my mind) therefore have no good purpose. Some seem to be really old, while some are clearly current. I do wonder about the origin of some of them. Who first referred to getting one’s ducks in a row?
LOL. But he only had 2 of them. I read a series of books and there’s a duck named Rosa in most of them. There are a lot of pictures posted about ducks, whether in a row or not. Here’s one:
This reminds me of an advanced architectural theory class that I had in college. The professor assigned us to read some excerpts from “The Jargon of Authenticity”. During the discussion that followed, another student and I argued that the book was essentially a tongue-in-cheek work. While the author argued that jargon obscured the meaning of things to give the writer a sense of professional credibility, the entire work was so thick with jargon that we had to incessantly turn to the dictionary to decipher it.
The teacher was not pleased with our interpretation. But the other student and I stood by our interpretation.
Does anyone remember the venture capitalist (and robot marking lady) at the panel discussion at the National Convention last fall?
The guy was using so much nonsense jargon that I started giggling. I actually turned to the guy next to me and ask him if he knew what the panelist was saying. He did not.
I used to have (and probably still do somewhere) a three column list of words. To construct a description of something, you chose a 3 digit number and then used the corresponding words, one from each column. Meaningless? Yup. But it sounded good to anyone who wasn’t thinking.
Louise Penny is the author, and the books revolve around residents of a small town near Montreal called Three Pines. One of the characters, Ruth, has a duck named Rosa. Ruth has had Rosa since Rosa hatched.
Thread the Needle is often a reference to the biblical parable taught by Jesus when he said it was more difficult for a wealthy man to enter Heaven than it was for a camel to pass through the Eye of the Needle (Mat 19:24).
The background on this is rather important. The Eye of the Needle refers to a small man-door in a main gate to a walled city (such as Jerico). In order for a camel to pass through the eye, it has to be on its knees, with all its saddle bags removed. That imagery really paints the picture of what Jesus was talking about.
Nathan, thanks for that information. I had forgotten about the camel being on its knees and with no baggage. (I was being sarcastic when I wrote “something to do with camels” as I thought everyone here would know the reference, being learned individuals.)
I am also a sewer, and as I get older, it becomes more difficult for me to thread a needle (grin).
I spent time in grad school in literature. Talk about jargon! I used to play PoMo Bingo at conferences. That helped keep me awake during paper presentations.
That was also when the “Sokal Affair” happened. Again, being in the lit world of academia, I though it was funny. A very “emperor’s new clothes” moment. However, it didn’t go down well with a lot of academics in the humanities.
I applaud banishing overused words, especially when they are used casually and not in their intended sense. There’s nothing wrong with the words “journey” or “amazing” for example, when used appropriately. (or even together - I have had amazing journeys).
Perhaps I was trying to escape a world made entirely of jargon to a new world literally set in concrete when In the 1970’s I switched college major from philosophy to architecture. But alas, I soon had in my hands the Kenneth Frampton essay “Frontality versus Rotation” and realized there was to be no escape.
David, your post certainly generated a lot of responses. I do agree with your other post about activity on the 4specs Forum, though, and have assumed it is due to a reduction in the number of dedicated specifiers.
As for “threading the needle,” I dispute the biblical citation and have always assumed the more literal reference to sewing suggested by Lynn. There is no “thread” in the parable. The saying is similar to “walking a thin line” or balancing opposing views. Threading a sewing needle is a precise task and there is a “thin line” between inserting the thread in the eye hole or missing the target. I don’t think there is any judgment associated with it to suggest worthiness to enter another realm.
Also, Lynn, is one who sews really a “sewer”? I wouldn’t care for the association with storm or sanitary sewers! I suppose “seamstress” could be considered sexist. How about “seamist”? Or “seamsmith”? Other suggestions?
Years ago I was approached by Katerra to apply for a position.
I did my “due dilegence” and checked out their webpage. I read it. I reread it. I read it again. I read it a fourth time. I think I gave up on the fifth or sixth time.
I am college educated, have writers in my family, and write for a living. I had no freaking clue what they were talking about. The website was so filled with $10 marketing jargon words that tried to sound impressive.
I wish I had saved it. It would have been a great lesson.
