Context Slice Corporate Jargon Dictionary
High-Value Buzzwords (Heavy BS Weight)
These phrases are almost never necessary and signal peak corporate:
| Phrase | Honest Translation |
|---|---|
| "Circle back" | Postpone indefinitely / hope you forget |
| "Synergy" | Vague collaboration that sounds impressive |
| "Leverage" | Use (but fancier) |
| "Bandwidth" | Time/energy (but techier) |
| "Low-hanging fruit" | Easy stuff we should've done already |
| "Move the needle" | Actually accomplish something for once |
| "Take it to the next level" | Improve it somehow, details TBD |
| "Best practices" | What everyone else does |
| "Learnings" | Mistakes we're reframing as growth |
| "Deep dive" | Actually look at it |
| "Unpack" | Talk about |
| "Loop in" | CC someone / tell someone |
| "Touch base" | Have a meeting that could be an email |
| "Align" | Get everyone to agree (or pretend to) |
| "Socialize" | Tell people before announcing |
| "Sunset" | Kill / end / discontinue |
| "Pivot" | Change direction because the first idea failed |
| "Boil the ocean" | Try to do too much |
| "Bleeding edge" | So new it probably doesn't work |
| "Game-changer" | We hope this matters |
Responsibility Deflectors (Medium BS Weight)
Phrases that spread or avoid blame:
| Phrase | What It's Doing |
|---|---|
| "The team will..." | Not specifying who, so no one's accountable |
| "We should explore..." | I'm not committing to anything |
| "There may be an opportunity to..." | Someone else should do this |
| "I'll flag that..." | I'll mention it once and forget |
| "Let's parking lot that" | We're not doing this |
| "Per my last email" | I already told you this, pay attention |
| "Going forward" | Let's pretend the past didn't happen |
| "Challenges" | Problems |
| "Opportunities" | Also problems, but optimistic |
Gratitude Deflectors (Light BS Weight)
Politeness that obscures reality:
| Phrase | Actual Meaning |
|---|---|
| "Thanks for your patience" | Sorry this took forever |
| "Thanks for the feedback" | I heard you but probably disagree |
| "Thanks for your input" | I'm going to ignore this |
| "I appreciate your perspective" | You're wrong but I'm being nice |
| "Great question" | I don't have an answer |
| "Let me get back to you" | I need to make something up |
Softeners and Qualifiers
Words that weaken statements to avoid commitment:
- "Potentially", "possibly", "perhaps"
- "Slight", "minor", "small"
- "Just", "only", "simply"
- "Kind of", "sort of", "somewhat"
- "I think", "I feel like", "I believe"
- "Correct me if I'm wrong"
- "If I'm being honest" (implies you're usually not?)
Action-Free Action Words
Phrases that sound like work but commit to nothing:
- "Explore", "investigate", "look into"
- "Consider", "evaluate", "assess"
- "Revisit", "review", "examine"
- "Discuss", "address", "tackle"
- "Ideate", "brainstorm", "whiteboard"
Scoring Guidance
When calculating BS Fluency Score:
- Each high-value buzzword: +8-10 points
- Each responsibility deflector: +5-7 points
- Each gratitude deflector: +2-4 points
- Heavy qualifier stacking: +5 points
- Passive voice throughout: +10 points
- No specific names/owners: +5 points
- No concrete timelines: +5 points
Cap at 100%. The title should match the score range from Corporate Translation Guide.