Tired Expressions I hear at the Office
Being a ponderer who ponders about words quite a bit, I tend to get annoyed by them when they are used in non-sensical expressions. Here are five sayings I hear at work that drive me nuts and what I’m thinking as I hear them:
Do a handshake on that: Since when did a handshake become a verb? And frankly, a handshake is meant to open or close a conversation, not represent getting consensus. Is it the grip and grin photo op that brought this phrase to light? Please point me to the person who first used this in a business setting. I would like to do a handshake with him/her.
The 50,000-foot perspective: Do you really think you’ve got the 50,000-foot perspective? Who are you kidding? When in search of the 50,000-foot view, I’ll seek the opinion of a B2 bomber pilot. Please enlighten me with your view from earth, thank you very much.
Pushing the envelope: First of all, just because you do something the slightest bit differently than how you’ve always done it doesn’t mean you’re pushing the envelope. Second of all, why does pushing the envelope mean what it does? Why is pushing an envelope a radical thing?
Thinking outside the box: This one always makes me wonder who put us INSIDE the preverbial box? What kind of a comment is that on a person or a position when they are inside a confined territory? We use it as a compliment for creative thinking but I think it is more of a dis on the work environment. and don't even ask about "dis"!
Take an action: To tell someone to "take an action" on something appears to be the most vague, non-descript way of simply asking someone to do something. How can you possibly expect to get the results you would like? What ever happend to "Could you insert details here?" Though I admire the fact that you don't even have to be listening to the conversation to get a result of some kind. When did this non-active listening become commonplace?
For the record, I’m guilty of saying all of these things at one point or another, but the inner me I always grimaces when I say them. Sort of like speaking in a foreign language and not really understanding what you're saying but hey, the natives seem to like it.
Do a handshake on that: Since when did a handshake become a verb? And frankly, a handshake is meant to open or close a conversation, not represent getting consensus. Is it the grip and grin photo op that brought this phrase to light? Please point me to the person who first used this in a business setting. I would like to do a handshake with him/her.
The 50,000-foot perspective: Do you really think you’ve got the 50,000-foot perspective? Who are you kidding? When in search of the 50,000-foot view, I’ll seek the opinion of a B2 bomber pilot. Please enlighten me with your view from earth, thank you very much.
Pushing the envelope: First of all, just because you do something the slightest bit differently than how you’ve always done it doesn’t mean you’re pushing the envelope. Second of all, why does pushing the envelope mean what it does? Why is pushing an envelope a radical thing?
Thinking outside the box: This one always makes me wonder who put us INSIDE the preverbial box? What kind of a comment is that on a person or a position when they are inside a confined territory? We use it as a compliment for creative thinking but I think it is more of a dis on the work environment. and don't even ask about "dis"!
Take an action: To tell someone to "take an action" on something appears to be the most vague, non-descript way of simply asking someone to do something. How can you possibly expect to get the results you would like? What ever happend to "Could you insert details here?" Though I admire the fact that you don't even have to be listening to the conversation to get a result of some kind. When did this non-active listening become commonplace?
For the record, I’m guilty of saying all of these things at one point or another, but the inner me I always grimaces when I say them. Sort of like speaking in a foreign language and not really understanding what you're saying but hey, the natives seem to like it.
posted by y-vonne at 8:55 AM
1 Comments:
"Pushing the envelope" refers to, I think, a "flight envelope"--the limits of speed, altitude, etc. at which a plane can safely fly. So when pilots tried to go faster, higher, etc, they were pushing at the limits of the envelope, i.e. taking a risk, beating records, raising the stakes.
I always envision, however, two CEO types sitting across from each other, and one guy writes a figure on a piece of paper, puts it in an envelope and pushes it across the table, thus changing the limits of the deal and challenging the other guy to ante up.
Post a Comment
<< Home