Lost in translation; circling back on office lingo

While playing a card game with friends recently, we were prompted to name the most annoying and overused phrases used by people right now. Most phrases are reserved for the office culture, but many creep into our everyday vernacular.

The closer the phrase “hit home,” the harder we laughed. We are all guilty of shared lingo, “right?”    It’s the implied meaning behind some of the phrases that can “get real, real fast.”

Sayings such as :

•          Take it offline

Translation: “Let’s not argue in front of everyone. Instead, let’s ‘circle back’ when I tell you why I was right and you were wrong.”

•          Circle back: 

Translation: “We will talk about this again.”

•          Boil the Ocean:

Translation – “You are making this way too hard.”

•          Add some color:

Translation:  “Your slide deck is lacking good content.”

•          At capacity

Translation:  “I ‘literally’ have no time for additional work.”

•          Push back

Translation -  “I have a different perspective and want you to know it.”

•          Let’s parking lot that

Translation:  “Your idea is getting us off track, so it should be ‘parked’ until we have time to 'circle back' to it.”

But not all sayings have a negative connotation; some are just confusing or comical.

Such as:

•          Move the needle

Translation:  “How are we making progress towards our goal?”

•          In the pipeline

Translation:  “It’s on my to-do list” or “I am working on it”

•          On my radar

Translation:  “Things that are keeping me up at night.”

•          Piggybacking

Translation: Adding to your idea or project

•          Whiteboarding

Translation – fancy way to say brainstorm

And then there are phrases reserved just for your close coworkers, sayings that you simply made up, or translations that only your teammates understand.

A few of my favorites that I have burdened my colleagues with:

•          Noodle on it

Translation:  “We need time to think more about it, but I sure hope you come around to how I am thinking.”

•          ROS: 

Translation: It is an acronym for run of show, a step-by-step planned-out guide for pretty much anything you want to accomplish

•          Check your bucket:

Translation:  Inspired by a book and means you need to make sure you fill your bucket with what motivates and inspires your work and life

•          Good Enough, Isn’t

Translation:  “We can do better.”

•          Surprise and Delight

Translation:  “What is the thing you say or do that the guests talk about later.”

•          You know it, you own it

Translation:  the answer to “why doesn’t someone do something about it?”

How about you?? What sayings would you like to see “flagged” and put “OOO”?