# Reach Out (and finger my stinking dungeye) **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [October 10, 2005, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reach-out-and-finger-my-stinking-dungeye/325616 "2005-10-10T19:34:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![DeadlyAccurate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ac91a4/32.png) [@DeadlyAccurate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DeadlyAccurate)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2005, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reach-out-and-finger-my-stinking-dungeye/325616/41 "2005-10-12T14:33:32Z")
> [@Nancarrow](#): > > Gosh, so many of these phrases are new to me, and no doubt I shall use them to the full in my workplace. But the one I like most is in the OP title. ‘Finger my stinking dungeye’… boss. It means the same as “think outside the box.” I suggest you use it to your boss to show you have initiative. ---
**Author:** ![vibrotronica](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/a9a28c/32.png) [@vibrotronica](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vibrotronica)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2005, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reach-out-and-finger-my-stinking-dungeye/325616/42 "2005-10-12T14:49:37Z")
> [@Sleel](#): > > If I hear “grow” used as an active verb again I may actually choke someone. “We’re going to grow our market sha-- Ack!” I actually ran across this in an article I was editing the other day. I marked it delete and replaced it with “accumulate.” (“accumulate wealth” instead of “grow wealth.” I got a note back saying “grow” was a term of art in the finance business! I responded that no, it’s not, it’s marketing bullshit and bad english, and if it’s going to be in my magazine, it’s going to say accumulate, goddamnit! As usual, I lost. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2005, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reach-out-and-finger-my-stinking-dungeye/325616/43 "2005-10-12T15:50:38Z")
**vibrotronica** , I think your argument should have simply been verbing weirds language. ---
**Author:** ![cards](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ecd19e/32.png) [@cards](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cards)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2005, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reach-out-and-finger-my-stinking-dungeye/325616/44 "2005-10-12T17:46:21Z")
> [@Nancarrow](#): > > Gosh, so many of these phrases are new to me, and no doubt I shall use them to the full in my workplace. But the one I like most is in the OP title. ‘Finger my stinking dungeye’… boss. A key phrase to add is used to get out of work that can’t get done, “we don’t have the bandwidth to support that endeavor”. In other words, you’re crazy if you think I’m going to do that. ---
**Author:** ![Weirddave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/919ad9/32.png) [@Weirddave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Weirddave)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2005, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reach-out-and-finger-my-stinking-dungeye/325616/45 "2005-10-12T18:36:47Z")
> [@vibrotronica](#): > > I actually ran across this in an article I was editing the other day. I marked it delete and replaced it with “accumulate.” (“accumulate wealth” instead of “grow wealth.” I got a note back saying “grow” was a term of art in the finance business! I responded that no, it’s not, it’s marketing bullshit and bad english, and if it’s going to be in my magazine, it’s going to say accumulate, goddamnit! > > As usual, I lost. Except that in that context, “grow wealth” doesn’t mean the same thing as “accumulate wealth”. It’s still stupid, but your proposed correction changed the meaning. ---
**Author:** ![vibrotronica](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/a9a28c/32.png) [@vibrotronica](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vibrotronica)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2005, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reach-out-and-finger-my-stinking-dungeye/325616/46 "2005-10-12T18:46:57Z")
How? ---
**Author:** ![vivalostwages](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/d07c76/32.png) [@vivalostwages](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vivalostwages)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2005, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reach-out-and-finger-my-stinking-dungeye/325616/47 "2005-10-12T19:16:07Z")
_sigh_ The word _reach_ reminds me of some seminar for profs called “If you can reach 'em, you can teach 'em.” Yeah, yeah, yeah. And sometimes if you can reach 'em, you can finger 'em right in the stinking dungeye. ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Borgia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/larry_borgia/32/156_2.png) [@Larry\_Borgia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Borgia)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2005, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reach-out-and-finger-my-stinking-dungeye/325616/48 "2005-10-12T21:43:35Z")
> [@Jurph](#): > > Since **Cervaise** was leaning forward on this, let’s have **Cervaise** take the action item. **Cervaise** , why don’t you socialize this within your team, give the home office some reachback, and then make sure nobody has any go-backs. This really seems like a motherhood discussion, so I don’t expect anything more than happy-to-glads on this. If all I hear are heads nodding, then we’ll declare victory and draft some talking points for the pre-meeting. **Cervaise** , I hope the tasker’s pretty clear – get with me offline, and we’ll come up with a good suspense for you. **cards** was really shoulder-to-shoulder with me on this – it’s clearly a parking-lot issue, so let’s keep the crosstalk down and re-baseline to something that’s value-added. > > Mmmmkay? I thank whatever gods there be that I have no idea what you’re talking about. 🆒 ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2005, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reach-out-and-finger-my-stinking-dungeye/325616/49 "2005-10-12T22:05:16Z")
> [@vivalostwages](#): > > _sigh_ The word _reach_ reminds me of some seminar for profs called “If you can reach 'em, you can teach 'em.” > Yeah, yeah, yeah. And sometimes if you can reach 'em, you can finger 'em right in the stinking dungeye. _That’ll_ get you kicked out of teaching. ---
**Author:** ![catsix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e19b73/32.png) [@catsix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/catsix)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2005, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reach-out-and-finger-my-stinking-dungeye/325616/50 "2005-10-12T22:09:20Z")
> [@](#): > > **Maureen** said: > Well yes, but it sounds more friendly than “personnel”, so you don’t squeal as loud when they bend you over. “Human Resources” makes it sound as if they give a damn. Are you kidding? ‘Human Resources’ sounds to me as if they consider me nothing more than a slab of meat that makes money for them. A resource sounds like an object that is devoid of needing care or consideration at all, like a printer or a fax machine. I’m not a resource, I’m a person, and calling me one doesn’t make it any freaking better if you put the word ‘Human’ at the front of it. ---
**Author:** ![vivalostwages](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/d07c76/32.png) [@vivalostwages](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vivalostwages)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2005, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reach-out-and-finger-my-stinking-dungeye/325616/51 "2005-10-13T02:48:22Z")
Oh dear lord…I just received a packet o’ crap today in my mailbox; the sender of said packet mentioned in the cover letter that since the program in question undergoes frequent changes, it is a “living document.” What the huh? Is this some freakish new term I have to become familiar with now? A document is now a living thing? ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2005, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reach-out-and-finger-my-stinking-dungeye/325616/52 "2005-10-13T16:33:20Z")
> [@catsix](#): > > Are you kidding? ‘Human Resources’ sounds to me as if they consider me nothing more than a slab of meat that makes money for them.\ They’re catching on - quick! Change the name again! What was that Dilbert comic about calling employees resources was too flattering, and it should be changed to human capital or livestock? Trying to find that cartoon, I see that the phrase “human capital” seems to have snuck into the business lexicon. Heavy, heavy sigh. ---
**Author:** ![Faruiza](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ecd19e/32.png) [@Faruiza](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Faruiza)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2005, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reach-out-and-finger-my-stinking-dungeye/325616/53 "2005-10-13T16:45:39Z")
> [@vivalostwages](#): > > Oh dear lord…I just received a packet o’ crap today in my mailbox; the sender of said packet mentioned in the cover letter that since the program in question undergoes frequent changes, it is a “living document.” > > What the huh? Is this some freakish new term I have to become familiar with now? A document is now a living thing? :rolleyes: Fuck. I hate that one, too. As if anything my lame ass is doing is as important as the U.S. Constitution. (The document, not the ship.) I have nothing to support my ideas of the etymology of the “living document” shit, only that the first time I started hearing it was in regards to the Constitution of the U.S. ---
**Author:** ![Schuyler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/54ee81/32.png) [@Schuyler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Schuyler)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2005, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reach-out-and-finger-my-stinking-dungeye/325616/54 "2005-10-13T19:05:27Z")
IFAIK, “Living Documents” are things nobody had time to really finish right, so they distribute the damn thing with the caveat that it can be changed (it’s living!!) when you point out all the errors it contains. Or, if it’s a requirements document, then when all the interface architectures need to be changed because they were so f\*\*\*ed-up the first time, the document’s author can say, “But hey, it’s a living document.” ---
**Author:** ![SlyFrog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a3d4f5/32.png) [@SlyFrog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SlyFrog)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2005, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reach-out-and-finger-my-stinking-dungeye/325616/55 "2005-10-13T20:01:53Z")
I’m in a profession (law) that has been traditionally fairly poor at marketing, as it is run by lawyers. One of the somewhat fortunate byproducts of that is a relative lack of buzzspeak. However, we hire people for our marketing department, and they are dear. A few weeks ago, in a meeting regarding how to better market ourselves as lawyers, we got the PowerPoint slide with: “Strategizing Effectuating Leverage of Your Brand.” I seriously almost broke-up in the middle of the meeting. ---
**Author:** ![vivalostwages](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/d07c76/32.png) [@vivalostwages](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vivalostwages)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2005, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reach-out-and-finger-my-stinking-dungeye/325616/56 "2005-10-13T21:37:11Z")
> [@SlyFrog](#): > > I’m in a profession (law) that has been traditionally fairly poor at marketing, as it is run by lawyers. One of the somewhat fortunate byproducts of that is a relative lack of buzzspeak. > > However, we hire people for our marketing department, and they are dear. A few weeks ago, in a meeting regarding how to better market ourselves as lawyers, we got the PowerPoint slide with: “Strategizing Effectuating Leverage of Your Brand.” > > I seriously almost broke-up in the middle of the meeting. I nearly spewed on my keyboard… Stand up and say, “You mean people actually EFFECTUATE in public?!” I hereby declare that all living documents must be terminated. ---
**Author:** ![Freddy\_the\_Pig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a587f6/32.png) [@Freddy\_the\_Pig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freddy_the_Pig)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2005, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reach-out-and-finger-my-stinking-dungeye/325616/57 "2005-10-13T21:51:19Z")
> [@Jurph](#): > > Since **Cervaise** was leaning forward on this, let’s have **Cervaise** take the action item. Is that your net-net on this? > [@](#): > > **Cervaise** , why don’t you socialize this within your team, give the home office some reachback, and then make sure nobody has any go-backs. At the end of the day, that would be a win-win for all of us. > [@](#): > > This really seems like a motherhood discussion . . . Or maybe even a come-to-Jesus meeting. > [@](#): > > . . . so I don’t expect anything more than happy-to-glads on this. If all I hear are heads nodding, then we’ll declare victory and draft some talking points for the pre-meeting. Can we put some better verbiage around that? > [@](#): > > **Cervaise** , I hope the tasker’s pretty clear – get with me offline, and we’ll come up with a good suspense for you. But who will care for this going forward? ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2005, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reach-out-and-finger-my-stinking-dungeye/325616/58 "2005-10-14T02:01:20Z")
> [@Freddy the Pig](#): > > Can we put some better verbiage around that? Apropos of nothing, I was more proud than I should have been that I managed to work the word “prolixity” into my OP. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Weirddave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/919ad9/32.png) [@Weirddave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Weirddave)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2005, 5:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reach-out-and-finger-my-stinking-dungeye/325616/59 "2005-10-14T05:12:01Z")
> [@vibrotronica](#): > > How? Accumulate wealth just means to collect it. Think a big pile of money. “Grow” wealth, at least in a corporate sense, means that yes, you are accumulating wealth, but you are also increasing your capacity for generating wealth. Picture two hot dog stands. Both make $500 profit a week. Stand one puts that money in the bank and continues to make $500 profit a week. He’s accumulating wealth. Stand two, on the other hand, puts $250 in the bank each week and puts the other $250 back into the business. Improved products, advertising, whatever. After a couple of months of doing this, he is turning a profit of $1000 per week. At this point, he can put the exact same amount of money in the bank each week as stand one, and still have $500 left over to invest back into his business, increasing his profits even further. He has grown his wealth. See the difference? ---
**Author:** ![Lola](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ed655f/32.png) [@Lola](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lola)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2005, 5:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reach-out-and-finger-my-stinking-dungeye/325616/60 "2005-10-14T05:16:44Z")
Jesus, **Dave** , can’t we just call it “getting rich” like we used to? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reach-out-and-finger-my-stinking-dungeye/325616.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reach-out-and-finger-my-stinking-dungeye/325616.md?page=4)