# 110%



## Badrabbit (Nov 18, 2004)

I just needed to rant on this for a minute. Who's the idiot that came up with "give it 110%." It's moronic and drives me crazy. All it really says to me is that whoever is saying it is too dumb to understand simple mathematical concepts. 

I'd like to take all the people who say "think outside the box" and "give it 110%" and put them all in boxes and drop them off a bridge that is 110% as high as is necessary to kill them.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Women thrive on novelty and are easy meat for the commerce of fashion. Men prefer old pipes and torn jackets. 
Anthony Burgess


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## Liberty Ship (Jan 26, 2006)

> quote:_Originally posted by Badrabbit_
> 
> I just needed to rant on this for a minute. Who's the idiot that came up with "give it 110%." It's moronic and drives me crazy. All it really says to me is that whoever is saying it is too dumb to understand simple mathematical concepts.
> 
> ...


I agree 110%. I believe that it started with the enemy of all culture, the High School Athletic establishment in which people otherwise unqualified to even sweep floors in Academia were given not only godlike status but the microphone at student assemblies.


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## Relayer (Nov 9, 2005)

Here's hoping you feel 110% better, now. (That is possible, right?)


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## Acct2000 (Sep 24, 2005)

The football coach is using that cliche while he talks about how his football team will play an excellent football game because there are a lot of good football players on his football team.


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## Patrick06790 (Apr 10, 2005)

At the end of the day, it's the people who think outside the box, who push the edge of the envelope, who give it 110%, who go the extra mile, who learn to maximize their growth potential, who grow their businesses, who adopt an opportunity-based strategy...

It's those folks who generally create a SNAFU and wind up with a FUBAR.

("Grow jobs" and "grow the economy" are phrases that make me nuts. You can grow vegetables and you can grow weary of idiots abusing the language but you cannot grow a job.)


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## AlanC (Oct 28, 2003)

> quote:_Originally posted by Patrick06790_
> 
> At the end of the day, it's the people who think outside the box, who push the edge of the envelope, who give it 110%, who go the extra mile, who learn to maximize their growth potential, who grow their businesses, who adopt an opportunity-based strategy...


I think that's really the bottom line.


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## Jill (Sep 11, 2003)

Yup. That's the net-net.


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## Chuck Franke (Aug 8, 2003)

While we're at it... what about those people who would be 'more than happy' to do something.

Sounds like a somewhat ominous mental condition.

"There's Chuck... he's a little, uhm 'more than happy'"

www.carlofranco.com
Handmade Seven Fold Ties


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## bosthist (Apr 4, 2004)

My favorite are people who come out of meetings with "actionable" items.


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## crs (Dec 30, 2004)

Be proactive! Ramp it up! Think outside the box! Think outside the box! Polly want a cracker! Raaaaawwwwwwk! Raaaaawwwwwwk!


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## Patrick06790 (Apr 10, 2005)

> quote:_Originally posted by bosthist_
> 
> My favorite are people who come out of meetings with "actionable" items.


Do you suppose they mean libel, slander or something more exotic?


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## Kav (Jun 19, 2005)

My favourite ( almost the mantra at a certain BIG BOX store.) is "Make it Happen." This was usually tossed back at you by assistant managers collectively hiding behind paperwork with a truck of new junk to be 'merchandised' which is retail speak for putting on the shelves and pricing, the employee of the month disappearing on another 30 minute break, 5 customers hovering around you, a cashier paging for a price check on the Boston Fern the employee of the month didn't tag, a shoplifter filling his trenchcoat with tools while store security are reading Soldier of Fortune magazines while sitting in front of the store survelliance system. This is not a unique, one of a kind phenomenon either.


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## Liberty Ship (Jan 26, 2006)

> quote:_Originally posted by CarloFranco_
> 
> While we're at it... what about those people who would be 'more than happy' to do something.
> 
> ...


And what about the people who say, in response to gratitude, "It was the least I could do." What insult!!!! Why didn't the person do more? Why did he do the least he could do, when he acknowledges he could do more? When someone thanks me for something, I have started saying, "I'm sorry it was all I could do." I think that's much more meaningful; it offers more _shibumi_.


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## Chuck Franke (Aug 8, 2003)

Or...

"Can I be honest with you?"

What, up til now you've been bullsh!tting me?

www.carlofranco.com
Handmade Seven Fold Ties


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## Fogey (Aug 27, 2005)

I think we have ascertained the solution to your needs.


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## Chuck Franke (Aug 8, 2003)

Oh man... this brings back horrifying memories from my days in consulting.

When you are dialoguing or interfacing with associates does it bother you when they can't address a central issue that must have adequate resources allocated? Instead of dicussing said issue they want to put your issue in the 'parking lot' so as to ignore it and get through with their discussion about maximizing core competencies through synergy?

...I dunno, it used to make me want to take them out to the parking lot and rub their teeth on the curb for a while... Of course that would be good exercise so I would be leveraging my time effectively.

www.carlofranco.com
Handmade Seven Fold Ties


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## bosthist (Apr 4, 2004)

Any phrase put on a poster by Successories.

My wife and I came up with our own Successories style saying: 

"Half a$$ed is better than half done."

Feel free to use it.


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## JLibourel (Jun 13, 2004)

> quote:_Originally posted by Liberty Ship_
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Speaking of the "High School Athletic establishment," I was once indirectly responsible for the rape of a poor high school girl. Here's story: I had a football player in one my Western Civilization classes. He was borderline between a "C" and a "D" grade at the end of the semester. In strict justice, I should have given him the D, but feeling merciful, I gave him the C. About a year later I heard that he had been at one of the local high schools, coaching football, AND teaching World History, for which he was about as qualified as I would be to coach the Pittsburg Steelers! Worse yet, he was in hot water with the law for having raped some poor girl at the school! I'll have to say he was very brutal looking individual, with a sullen, swarthy countenance and no neck. Had I been on his jury, I would have had difficulty fighting a tendency to prejudge him based on his appearance alone.


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## Patrick06790 (Apr 10, 2005)

> quote:_Originally posted by JLibourel_
> Speaking of the "High School Athletic establishment," I was once indirectly responsible for the rape of a poor high school girl. Here's story: I had a football player in one my Western Civilization classes. He was borderline between a "C" and a "D" grade at the end of the semester. In strict justice, I should have given him the D, but feeling merciful, I gave him the C. About a year later I heard that he had been at one of the local high schools, coaching football, AND teaching World History, for which he was about as qualified as I would be to coach the Pittsburg Steelers! Worse yet, he was in hot water with the law for having raped some poor girl at the school! I'll have to say he was very brutal looking individual, with a sullen, swarthy countenance and no neck. *Had I been on his jury, I would have had difficulty fighting a tendency to prejudge him based on his appearance alone.*


And that would have been 110% understandable.


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## bosthist (Apr 4, 2004)

Jan:

Whenever I had a student come in and complain about a grade, I'd ask them if they wanted justice or mercy. They always chose justice. Wrong choice.


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## Wayfarer (Mar 19, 2006)

This thread has given me several chuckles as I've experienced much of what was written above. It brings to mind a favorite question of mine when given an outrageously optimistic budget to meet by my CEO, on either the revenue or cost savings side, or similar assignment. Feel free to pepper it with your own prelude but I usually start off with something to the effect of, "Well here's our last historical data points showing (insert logical forecast here). So our goal now is (insert pie in the sky here)." Here comes my idiot killing question....

"Can you just outline your assumptions for me so I know how to get started meeting that goal?" 

Saves hours of frustration.

Warmest regards


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## crs (Dec 30, 2004)

> quote:_Originally posted by CarloFranco_
> 
> When you are dialoguing or interfacing with associates


When a colleague asked if I was going to interface with someone from the art department, I was tempted to say, "I know you routinely put your face in all kinds of strange places, but I prefer to just talk to him."


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## Srynerson (Aug 26, 2005)

> quote:_Originally posted by Liberty Ship_
> 
> And what about the people who say, in response to gratitude, "It was the least I could do." What insult!!!! Why didn't the person do more? Why did he do the least he could do, when he acknowledges he could do more?


I believe the phrase should be understood as being calculated to reassure you that you didn't burden them. If you thank someone and then they say, "I went above and beyond the call of duty for this" (or something similar) doesn't that sound like they're either put out of joint or arrogantly expecting something additional from you besides a word of thanks? Do you also complain when someone says, "It was no problem," or "Think nothing of it," or, as is used in many languages, "It's nothing" (de rien; de nada, etc.)?


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## Badrabbit (Nov 18, 2004)

> quote:_Originally posted by Srynerson_
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Whatever happened to "You're welcome"? I prefer that to all the ones you listed.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Women thrive on novelty and are easy meat for the commerce of fashion. Men prefer old pipes and torn jackets. 
Anthony Burgess


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## Albert (Feb 15, 2006)

HEADS UP


Just to give you a heads up - 

Before we start this process, let's make sure of not putting all of our eggs in one basket - if there are too many roosters in the henhouse and too many cooks in the kitchen, we will be letting the wolf into the chicken coop and this will be a hard nut to crack. At the end of the day - looking at the product from 15,000 feet - it's just a blackbox resting on a slippery slope. But from a bottoms-up perspective - we're pretty smart guys and doing this from soup to nuts will leave us with bird in hand and create some serious value-added.

Provided we row downstream and don't spin our wheels - there's no need to be caught with our pants down.

Just take a top-down approach - focus on core competencies, think outside the box, keep it apples-to-apples, bake in your assumptions, and spread, dig into, play with, juice, goose, vet, run, flesh out, go through with a fine tooth comb, sanity check, scrub and flush the noise out of the numbers. I need you, right now, to sharpen your pencils, get cranking, take the lead, turn these comments, not tread water, bang this out, push it through, get it across the finish line and drop it on my chair. And before you send this to me, make sure to take a step back, get your arms around it, not miss the forest for the trees, and check under the hood - it better hold water. I'm not religious about this, but net-net I would guess there will be some layered switches, hockey sticks, sensitivities, color-coded sheets and zero gridlines. I know you want a rubberstamp - but there is a definite possibility that the director will want to get his hands dirty - I want us to stay on top of the ball, keep our coach's whistle on, stay behind the wheel and keep ownership of the work.

After the heavy lifting, we just need to get the deliverables out the door and keep everything else under the kitchen sink - we'll figure out its highest and best use later. Keep in mind I am in no way wed to this analysis, but this is a two-horse race, and we can't afford to have our heads in the tent. There is no need to recreate the wheel here, but this will be a great learning experience. Let's discuss when you get in.

Thanks and don't kill yourself.


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## Patrick06790 (Apr 10, 2005)

Wow, Albert. That's impressive, although the slightly literary tone might confuse otherwise attuned Americans.


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## Intrepid (Feb 20, 2005)

I could care less (sic).

Carpe Diem


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## guitone (Mar 20, 2005)

We have a new VP of sales and this person is completing there MBA as well. These are the things we hear on our monthly conference calls"

"Go get the bad guys"

"Hit it out of the park"
and so many more

we now have* initiatives* every month or so.

I do so miss the old days were talk was talk and not cliche.

guit


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## bosthist (Apr 4, 2004)

As a historian, "going forward" always drives me crazy. 

"Going forward, we will file our TPS reports bi-weekly rather than semi-monthly."


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## PITAronin (Nov 30, 2004)

In this vein, let me totally recommend the "Demotivators" series of cards, desktoppers, posters, etc. on offer from www.despair.com. On any given day, in any particular situation, there is usually something available that represents a fabulously snarky alternative to the usual corporate rah-rah. (e.g., their take on Consulting: "If you're not part of the solution, there's good money to be made in prolonging the problem.")


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## Fogey (Aug 27, 2005)

> quote:_Originally posted by bosthist_
> 
> As a historian, "going forward" always drives me crazy.
> 
> "Going forward, we will file our TPS reports bi-weekly rather than semi-monthly."


 I prefer the sound of 'a*n* historian' [^]


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## mpcsb (Jan 1, 2005)

> quote:_Originally posted by JLPWCXIII_
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I was hoping the original was a typo.


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## bosthist (Apr 4, 2004)

> quote:_Originally posted by mpcsb_
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No typo. Even a curmudgeon like Henry Watson Fowler (of A Dictionary of Modern English Usage fame) suggested using "an" in front of the word "historic". The idea that the "h" in "historian" is weak enough to justify using "an" seems wrong to me, although the pronunciation of "historian" in England may have a weaker "h" and perhaps that is where the idea of using "an" originated. Mark Twain noted that in the American language one never uses "an" in front of the word "historical" and one would imagine, by extension, never with "historian" or "historic". You will (almost?) never see someone write "an history" and the syllabic breakdown and emphasis is barely different between "history" and "historian", if at all.


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## JBZ (Mar 28, 2005)

Sorry I haven't had a chance to read this thread thoroughly, but I've been busy trying to come up with a new paradigm, and I didn't want to drop the ball.


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## Intrepid (Feb 20, 2005)

Under the heading of motivators, in the vernacular, Lou Holtz, who made a fortune with motivational speaking shared this with us.

"When I was only 6, my old white haired grandmother gave me some advice that I have never forgotten. She said, Lou you will always encounter problems in life. When you do, give it your very best, and if that isn't good enough, piss on it."

Carpe Diem


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## Jill (Sep 11, 2003)

I don't know Albert. I don't think we'll get enough lift from that. Could you put together a deck for me?


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## Concordia (Sep 30, 2004)

> quote:_Originally posted by CarloFranco_
> 
> Or...
> 
> ...


Actually, this was the spark of one of the Great Moments in Consulting. A colleague of mine was working with a cranky and unproductive board that hadn't taken any of her recent suggestions-- good ones, as it happened-- and then started to snarl at her about the fund's performance.

Quoth she: "I think we need to be honest, here." 
Committee member: "You mean you haven't been?"
She: No, I think WE (including all of YOU) need to be honest..."


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## pendennis (Oct 6, 2005)

> quote:_Originally posted by Intrepid_
> 
> Under the heading of motivators, in the vernacular, Lou Holtz, who made a fortune with motivational speaking shared this with us.
> 
> ...


Intrepid, I also remember some of my father's wit and wisdom:

"Wash your neck and ears before your a$$ and elbows."

Dennis
If you wish to control the future, then create it.
Est unusquisque faber ipsae suae fortunae


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## Fogey (Aug 27, 2005)

> quote:_Originally posted by bosthist_
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 That is an interesting point, how the 'h' is more prominent when pronouncing 'history' and less so when saying 'historian', &c. English is so illogical!


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## Chuck Franke (Aug 8, 2003)

Yes, but we'll need a change management facilitator to give me some knowledge transfer on this, it's totally outside my paradigm.

www.carlofranco.com
Handmade Seven Fold Ties


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## BertieW (Jan 17, 2006)

Then there's the wonderful "No problem" response to one saying "Thanks."

Gee, didn't think I was *causing* a problem.

********************************
"It's about time some publicly-spirited person told you where to get off. The trouble with you, Spode, is that just because you've succeeded in convincing a handful of half-wits to disfigure the London scene by going about in black shorts, you think you're someone."


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## Fogey (Aug 27, 2005)

> quote:_Originally posted by BertieW_
> 
> Gee, didn't think I was *causing* a problem.


 I conjecture that they were trying to clue you in about a possible perception mis-alignment.


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## Liberty Ship (Jan 26, 2006)

I want to add another thing that I hear far too often and it makes me want to strike out. When finishing a dish at a restaurant, servers have taken to saying, "Are you still working on that?" When they mean to ask if you are finished and want to the plate taken away. First of all, they shouldn't be clearing the plates of people individually. Secondly, they should know from the arrangement for the utinsels whether or not one has finshed. But, OK, I grant them that "reading" utinsel position is a wasted knowledge since customer's don't know what they are doing. But must they say, "Are you still working on that," as if you had been engaged in come chore rather than dining?????


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## Mr. Knightly (Sep 1, 2005)

> quote:_Originally posted by Badrabbit_
> 
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> 
> ...


Saying it's the least you could do often implies "for someone like you" or "because of what you did." It's paying a compliment to the other person, saying that they are very deserving.

Costly thy habit as thy purse can buy,
But not express'd in fancy; rich, not gaudy;
For the apparel oft proclaims the man.


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## Mr. Knightly (Sep 1, 2005)

> quote:_Originally posted by Liberty Ship_
> 
> I want to add another thing that I hear far too often and it makes me want to strike out. When finishing a dish at a restaurant, servers have taken to saying, "Are you still working on that?" When they mean to ask if you are finished and want to the plate taken away. First of all, they shouldn't be clearing the plates of people individually. Secondly, they should know from the arrangement for the utinsels whether or not one has finshed. But, OK, I grant them that "reading" utinsel position is a wasted knowledge since customer's don't know what they are doing. But must they say, "Are you still working on that," as if you had been engaged in come chore rather than dining?????


It's because that's the way Americans eat. We get such enormous plates of food that after the first few bites, it becomes a task to see if you can cram it all in. Nobody "works" on a dish of 6 lobster ravioli, but you can certainly work on a 2lb burger.

Costly thy habit as thy purse can buy,
But not express'd in fancy; rich, not gaudy;
For the apparel oft proclaims the man.


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## Mr. Knightly (Sep 1, 2005)

Oh, and finally, "I could care less" is a sarcastic inversion of "I couldn't care less." It's a reducio ad absurdum that reveals the limits of humor derived from simply saying the exact opposite of what you mean. Of course, it's gone far beyond that to the point where the entire phrase is a single signifier.

Costly thy habit as thy purse can buy,
But not express'd in fancy; rich, not gaudy;
For the apparel oft proclaims the man.


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## Mr. Di Liberti (Jan 24, 2006)

> quote:_Originally posted by Relayer_
> 
> Here's hoping you feel 110% better, now. (That is possible, right?)


Thats possible provided... you only feel 47.6099% of 100%.

Anthony

Courtesy is as much a mark of a gentleman as courage ~ Theodore Roosevelt


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## Mr. Di Liberti (Jan 24, 2006)

Mathematical proof.

From a strictly mathematical viewpoint, it goes like this:

What Makes 100%?

What does it mean to give MORE than 100%?

Ever wonder about those people who say they are giving more than 100%?

We have all been to those meetings where someone wants you to give over 100%.

How about achieving 103%?

What makes up 100% in life?

Here's a little mathematical formula that might help you answer these
questions:

If: A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z are represented As:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26

Then:

H-A-R-D-W-O-R-K
8+1+18+4+23+15+18+11 = 98%

And,

K-N-O-W-L-E-D-G-E
11+14+15+23+12+5+4+7+5 = 96%

But,

A-T-T-I-T-U-D-E
1+20+20+9+20+21+4+5 = 100%

And,

B-U-L-L-S-H-I-T
2+21+12+12+19+8+9+20 = 103%

And,

A-S-S-K-I-S-S-I-N-G
1+19+19+11+9+19+19+9+14+7 = 127%

Thus, one can conclude with mathematical certainty that, while Hard work and Knowledge will get you close, and Attitude will get you there, Bulls**t and Ass kissing will put you over the top.

Auther unknown.

Anthony

Courtesy is as much a mark of a gentleman as courage ~ Theodore Roosevelt


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## BertieW (Jan 17, 2006)

I might believe that if they took the time to look up instead of mumbling and jamming the iPod earbuds deeper into their head.



> quote:_Originally posted by JLPWCXIII_
> 
> 
> 
> ...


********************************
"It's about time some publicly-spirited person told you where to get off. The trouble with you, Spode, is that just because you've succeeded in convincing a handful of half-wits to disfigure the London scene by going about in black shorts, you think you're someone."


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## jeffdeist (Feb 7, 2006)

I highly recommend the book _Junk English_ by Ken Smith. He savages the awful business-speak that makes us feel important at work, like using the term "skill set" instead of just saying "skills." He also points out that "massive" should be used only to describe things with great physical mass like the Hoover Dam.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0...f=pd_bbs_1/102-7574219-2431323?_encoding=UTF8


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## Patrick06790 (Apr 10, 2005)

> quote:_Originally posted by jeffdeist_
> 
> I highly recommend the book _Junk English_ by Ken Smith. He savages the awful business-speak that makes us feel important at work, like using the term "skill set" instead of just saying "skills." He also points out that "massive" should be used only to describe things with great physical mass like the Hoover Dam.


We had a good wrangle a while back about "price point." I forget how it ended, but it was acrimonious.


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## Doctor Damage (Feb 18, 2005)

Unfortunately, sometimes it's impossible to interact with some people _without_ using management-speak or whatever, like my boss.


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## Andy V. (Jan 16, 2004)

So are we all on the same page now?


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## Albert (Feb 15, 2006)

> quote:_Originally posted by Andy V._
> 
> So are we all on the same page now?


Excuse me, I have to return some video tapes.


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## I_Should_Be_Working (Jun 23, 2005)

After finishing grad school in '99, a classmate and I frequently joked about the book we would write for the coming recession. Labeled "Back to the Box", it would be an attempt to refute all the loony ideas and MBA speak that came out of the nineties. A return to the small office/big desk and away from the cubicle mindset would have been just the thing in the post Nasdaq meltdown environment. While all in jest, I have little doubt that such an effort, pursued with a modicum of vigor, could have proven a best-seller and fodder for business talk shows.


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## Concordia (Sep 30, 2004)

> quote:_Originally posted by jeffdeist_
> 
> I highly recommend the book _Junk English_ by Ken Smith. He savages the awful business-speak that makes us feel important at work, like using the term "skill set" instead of just saying "skills." He also points out that "massive" should be used only to describe things with great physical mass like the Hoover Dam.
> 
> https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0...f=pd_bbs_1/102-7574219-2431323?_encoding=UTF8


One of my all-time favorites in a business setting (well, said by an HR squid in one of my previous companies) was the use of "career path" as a verb. That's right-- as in, "we are going to be paying more attention to career pathing."


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## Beresford (Mar 30, 2006)

This is all rather feckless.


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