# What corporate bullshit words and phrases do you hate? **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [December 10, 2002, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-corporate-bullshit-words-and-phrases-do-you-hate/141832 "2002-12-10T20:17:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![DarrenS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/977dab/32.png) [@DarrenS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DarrenS)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2002, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-corporate-bullshit-words-and-phrases-do-you-hate/141832/1 "2002-12-10T20:17:51Z")
Inspired by [this](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=148789) thread. Ever since there was big money in computers, the “suits” have moved in and corrupted the lingo with their own bullshit advertising-inspired jargon. Here are a few of my “faves”: -leverage -resource (used for a person) -value add -touch base. Yes, I’ve heard of “buzzword bingo” too 😉 ---
**Author:** ![andymurph64](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a88e57/32.png) [@andymurph64](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/andymurph64)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2002, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-corporate-bullshit-words-and-phrases-do-you-hate/141832/2 "2002-12-10T20:25:27Z")
Team player. Funny how some members of the ‘Team’ get company Lexus’s for personal use and others don’t. Are we not all part of the team? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![scout1222](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/34f0e0/32.png) [@scout1222](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scout1222)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2002, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-corporate-bullshit-words-and-phrases-do-you-hate/141832/3 "2002-12-10T20:40:37Z")
Robust. Dialogue. Talking about it “offline”. and others, ad nauseum. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2002, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-corporate-bullshit-words-and-phrases-do-you-hate/141832/4 "2002-12-10T20:41:54Z")
“Think outside the box.” This phrase, while once fresh and meaningful, has become so far inside the box that it now means “Be a drone.” ---
**Author:** ![Maeglin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8baadc/32.png) [@Maeglin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maeglin)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2002, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-corporate-bullshit-words-and-phrases-do-you-hate/141832/5 "2002-12-10T20:43:22Z")
All of them. ---
**Author:** ![Oblong](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/c0e974/32.png) [@Oblong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oblong)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2002, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-corporate-bullshit-words-and-phrases-do-you-hate/141832/6 "2002-12-10T20:43:28Z")
value add synergy cohesive This is probably all from that bullshit bingo game but these are two that a certain member of our company uses all the time. ---
**Author:** ![SaxFace](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@SaxFace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SaxFace)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2002, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-corporate-bullshit-words-and-phrases-do-you-hate/141832/7 "2002-12-10T20:44:48Z")
“brand” “brand strength” “branding” ad nauseum ---
**Author:** ![Carcosa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b3f665/32.png) [@Carcosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Carcosa)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2002, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-corporate-bullshit-words-and-phrases-do-you-hate/141832/8 "2002-12-10T20:45:51Z")
Proactive ---
**Author:** ![World\_Eater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f04885/32.png) [@World\_Eater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/World_Eater)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2002, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-corporate-bullshit-words-and-phrases-do-you-hate/141832/9 "2002-12-10T20:49:34Z")
“We provide a comprehensive **suite** (barf) of _ **solutions** _(double barf)” “Power play” always bothered me as well. WTf? you playing hockey? Schmucks. ---
**Author:** ![El\_Kabong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/el_kabong/32/496_2.png) [@El\_Kabong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Kabong)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2002, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-corporate-bullshit-words-and-phrases-do-you-hate/141832/10 "2002-12-10T20:56:22Z")
All of the above. Plus, an acquaintance of mine constantly talks about holding “come to Jesus meetings”. He’s not a fundie; he’s apparently referring to getting a group back on track when they are not following one program or another. ---
**Author:** ![Avalonian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ee7513/32.png) [@Avalonian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Avalonian)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2002, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-corporate-bullshit-words-and-phrases-do-you-hate/141832/11 "2002-12-10T20:57:09Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by scout1222 \* > **Talking about it “offline”.** That’s one of my biggies, too. Others: Action plan Action item ---
**Author:** ![DarrenS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/977dab/32.png) [@DarrenS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DarrenS)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2002, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-corporate-bullshit-words-and-phrases-do-you-hate/141832/12 "2002-12-10T21:02:45Z")
I missed an obvious one - “paradigm shift”. Why do people **do** this?? ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2002, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-corporate-bullshit-words-and-phrases-do-you-hate/141832/13 "2002-12-10T21:09:11Z")
The one I really hate is, “If you don’t start showing up on time and sober, we are going to fire you.” Newspeak bastards. ---
**Author:** ![jk1245](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/49beb7/32.png) [@jk1245](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jk1245)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2002, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-corporate-bullshit-words-and-phrases-do-you-hate/141832/14 "2002-12-10T21:10:18Z")
Going forward Synergies commoditize win-win ---
**Author:** ![Beadalin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3be4f8/32.png) [@Beadalin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beadalin)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2002, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-corporate-bullshit-words-and-phrases-do-you-hate/141832/15 "2002-12-10T21:17:37Z")
I’ve bitched about “leverage” before, and I will bitch about it again. God_damn_, I hate that word. Others include, but are not limited to: - “Sexy” used to describe something that is patently un-sexy, like a brand marketing campaign or a b-to-b website. - “Proactive” - “Synergy” - “Going forward” - “Solution” - “Incentivize” (that’s not even a fucking word! It’s **incent** , you fucking morons!) … and there are many more. My SO works for the same company, and it kills me when he utters these words/phrases at home. I’ve banned them from home use, but he slips them in every now and then. ---
**Author:** ![asterion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4da419/32.png) [@asterion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asterion)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2002, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-corporate-bullshit-words-and-phrases-do-you-hate/141832/16 "2002-12-10T21:17:43Z")
Cart Retriveal Engineer (or anything else along these lines). Seriously, I went to apply for a summer job once, and the circumlocutious descriptions had me wondering just what it was I was applying for. I was looking to be a bag boy or cart boy. Eschew obfuscation, people! ---
**Author:** ![Blackeyes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/f6c823/32.png) [@Blackeyes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blackeyes)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2002, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-corporate-bullshit-words-and-phrases-do-you-hate/141832/17 "2002-12-10T21:19:14Z")
Cubicle. Corporate bullshit for three-walled box wherein we test our resources into insanity. ---
**Author:** ![Ins\_Outs\_What-have-yous](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/8797f3/32.png) [@Ins\_Outs\_What-have-yous](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ins_Outs_What-have-yous)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2002, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-corporate-bullshit-words-and-phrases-do-you-hate/141832/18 "2002-12-10T21:21:19Z")
Utilize (it suffices to say “use”) ---
**Author:** ![DarrenS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/977dab/32.png) [@DarrenS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DarrenS)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2002, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-corporate-bullshit-words-and-phrases-do-you-hate/141832/19 "2002-12-10T21:25:00Z")
Another one - “bigger than a breadbox”. ---
**Author:** ![Legomancer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/779978/32.png) [@Legomancer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Legomancer)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2002, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-corporate-bullshit-words-and-phrases-do-you-hate/141832/20 "2002-12-10T21:27:37Z")
I worked at a hospital before my current job and one day, as a result of something that happened, we were changing a procedure. My boss said, “So we want to be proactive here and keep this from happening again.” Me: “Reactive.” Her: “What?” Me: “Reactive. Something happened, and we’re reacting to it. We’re not being proactive. Inasmuch as proactive is a word at all, it means to do something to prevent an occurance before it happens.” Her: “Well we’re preventing it from happening again.” Me: “I have to go pretend to care about something else now.” [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-corporate-bullshit-words-and-phrases-do-you-hate/141832.md?page=2)