# When did nonsensical corporate jargon become a thing? How is it still a thing?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-nonsensical-corporate-jargon-become-a-thing-how-is-it-still-a-thing/1019958>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [June 21, 2025, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-nonsensical-corporate-jargon-become-a-thing-how-is-it-still-a-thing/1019958 "2025-06-21T23:09:48Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Page:** 7

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**Author:** ![Chelonaut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e9a140/32.png) [@Chelonaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chelonaut)\
**Post date:** [July 4, 2025, 6:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-nonsensical-corporate-jargon-become-a-thing-how-is-it-still-a-thing/1019958/121 "2025-07-04T06:54:15Z")

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> [@Lumpy](#):
>
> Which Heinlein novel contained a passage where people were analyzing the text of a proposed treaty and determined that stripped of jargon and high-sounding phrases, at bottom it was guaranteeing exactly nothing?

This sounds like something from the first Foundation short story, The  
Encyclopedists (I know, not Heinlein). The provinces surrounding Terminus have become independent kingdoms. Terminus is still under the Empires protection. There’s even a longwinded treaty stating how the Empire will help if there’s any armed agression against Terminus. When the treaty is analyzed …

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