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#Corporate lingo full
#Corporate lingo code

Although a second theory claims the term originally referred to pirates who would hide their full strength below decks in order to lure ships closer. The term aboveboard, meanwhile, was likely born out of the requirement that card players keep their hands above the table as a way to discourage cheating. Special words or expressions that are used by a particular profession or group and are difficult for others to understand. Today’s definition of jargon seems to reflect that explosion in technical vocabulary:

#Corporate lingo code

code words, or words that didn’t mean what they appeared to meanįlash forward a couple of centuries and the Industrial Revolution is in full swing, and it’s ushering in a new era of super-technical-sounding terms, like “power loom” and “self-acting mill.”Īs the years roll on, new technologies and new industries inevitably breed new, more specialized terminology.

As writer Rebecca Gowers (great-granddaughter of the famed linguist Ernest Gowers) told the BBC, jargon started out as a positive word, as it denoted “lovely, chirping birdsong.” But once the word started being applied to human communication, things changed.īy the 17th century, jargon had taken on two distinct definitions: Like the words twitter and chatter, the word jargon dates back to the Middle Ages and originally referred to a sound that birds made. In other words, I’m going to explain where business jargon comes from and why people use it.įirst, let’s take a moment to understand what jargon actually is. My key objective with this short dissertation is to create some transparency around the origins of the obfuscatory lexicon associated with specific industries and enterprises, and to then elucidate the myriad of hypotheses as to why such lexicon is leveraged in these contexts. We have to admit, there is comfort in knowing that Germany has phrases such as “now it’s about the sausage” and Greek’s often exclaim “he cooked the fish on his lips”.Or, “Why do business-people talk like that?” Jesus used this example to show his followers that they can do more than is expected of them, by taking Roman soldiers’ belongings for an “extra mile”.īusiness jargon around the world It seems the UK has an unwanted abundance of business jargon, which got us wondering whether other countries have to endure the same tiresome office lingo.

It originates from the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew Ch 5 v 41) which refers to a law that would allow Roman soldiers the right to ask any Jewish citizen to carry his belongings for a mile. Going the extra mile This phrase, which means “to do more than is expected of you” actually has religious origins. Although we’re sure you know it, the phrase means to “think creatively” or “in an unconventional way”. Outside the box This usually refers to “thinking outside the box”, and once again Americans are to blame for this one-we’re starting to see a pattern here! This phrase was born a little later than “no-brainer” in the 1960’s and has become one of the biggest business clichés.

Looking at the results of our survey, perhaps the easily made decision would be to omit “no-brainer” from your next email. It can also be used to describe an easily made decision. Americans coined the phrase in the 1950’s to refer to things that require little mental effort. No-brainer No brainer is another disliked piece of office lingo. In business terms, this has come to mean “let’s make contact”, “cover all possibilities” or “check-in with each other”. Touching base is a vital aspect of the game, as without it, the player can’t advance. The American sport is famous for its four bases which the player must run around in order to score points. Touch base It’s official, the UK public despise the phrase “touch base”, which originates from baseball. “Touch base”, “no-brainer”, “outside the box” and “go the extra mile’” all topped the most hated lingo, so we’ve looked into where these monstrosities came from, how they came about and why they’re so widely used.