Jargon words

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Author Message David G. Axt, CDT, CCS, CSI, SCIP Senior Member Username: david_axt Post Number: 2001 Registered: 03-2002 Posted on Monday, March 06, 2023 - 11:39 am:    I despise jargon. I find jargon makes communication less clear and tries to make the speaker sound impressive. I found this list of jargon words on the internet. Bandwidth – Capacity Bleeding edge – New or innovative feature Blue sky thinking – Brainstorm without limits Boil the ocean – Trying to accomplish too much Circle back – Revisit Deep dive – Examine Due Diligence – Research Empower – Give authority or agency First and foremost – Use one word or the other (it’s repetitive) Fully baked – Completely thought through Gain traction – Move toward the desired goal Game changer – New event, idea, process Get our ducks in a row – Have everything completed Giving 110% – Do your best work Heavy lifting – Difficult duty or task I’ll ping you – I’ll follow up Irregardless – It’s not even a word Leverage – Use Lipstick on a pig – Make this situation look better Lots of moving parts – Complex situation with changing details Low-hanging fruit – Let’s start with the easy tasks first Magic bullet – Solution to a complex problem Mission-critical – Unless you work at NASA Move the needle – Make progress New normal – New conditions, environment, expectation Open the kimono – Share information  Paradigm shift – Think about this differently Parking lot issue – Items to discuss later Pivot – Change directions Pull the trigger – Take action Put a pin in it – Save it for later Raise the bar – Improve Reinvent the wheel – Change the process Run it up the flagpole – Ask management or leadership Strategic partnership – Simply use the partnership, as all partnerships should be strategic. Synergy – Collaboration Thinking outside the box – New idea or thought Thought leader – Expert or authority Top of mind – Most important idea or thought Win-win – Good for both parties Read more at: https://www.scienceofpeople.com/corporate-jargon-words/ David G. Axt, CDT, CCS, CSI, SCIP Specifications Consultant Axt Consulting LLC Lynn Javoroski FCSI CCS LEED® AP SCIP Affiliate Senior Member Username: lynn_javoroski Post Number: 2311 Registered: 07-2002 Posted on Monday, March 06, 2023 - 11:49 am:    I do like "boil the ocean" - quite the image! (and, if climate change heats the oceans enough, might happen - grin). Many of these are more wordy than their meaning, and (in my mind) therefore have no good purpose. Some seem to be really old, while some are clearly current. I do wonder about the origin of some of them. Who first referred to getting one's ducks in a row? ken hercenberg Senior Member Username: khercenberg Post Number: 1558 Registered: 12-2006 Posted on Monday, March 06, 2023 - 11:58 am:    Had to be Noah David G. Axt, CDT, CCS, CSI, SCIP Senior Member Username: david_axt Post Number: 2002 Registered: 03-2002 Posted on Monday, March 06, 2023 - 12:10 pm:    They forgot "Thread the Needle"....whatever that means. David G. Axt, CDT, CCS, CSI, SCIP Specifications Consultant Axt Consulting LLC Edward J Dueppen, RA, CSI, CCS, LEED AP Senior Member Username: edueppen Post Number: 87 Registered: 08-2013 Posted on Monday, March 06, 2023 - 12:11 pm:    This reminds me of an advanced architectural theory class that I had in college. The professor assigned us to read some excerpts from "The Jargon of Authenticity". During the discussion that followed, another student and I argued that the book was essentially a tongue-in-cheek work. While the author argued that jargon obscured the meaning of things to give the writer a sense of professional credibility, the entire work was so thick with jargon that we had to incessantly turn to the dictionary to decipher it. The teacher was not pleased with our interpretation. But the other student and I stood by our interpretation. Lynn Javoroski FCSI CCS LEED® AP SCIP Affiliate Senior Member Username: lynn_javoroski Post Number: 2312 Registered: 07-2002 Posted on Monday, March 06, 2023 - 12:11 pm:    "Thread the Needle" - something to do with camels. (Unregistered Guest) Unregistered guest Posted on Monday, March 06, 2023 - 12:10 pm:    LOL. But he only had 2 of them. I read a series of books and there's a duck named Rosa in most of them. There are a lot of pictures posted about ducks, whether in a row or not. Here's one: David G. Axt, CDT, CCS, CSI, SCIP Senior Member Username: david_axt Post Number: 2003 Registered: 03-2002 Posted on Monday, March 06, 2023 - 12:14 pm:    Does anyone remember the venture capitalist (and robot marking lady) at the panel discussion at the National Convention last fall? The guy was using so much nonsense jargon that I started giggling. I actually turned to the guy next to me and ask him if he knew what the panelist was saying. He did not. David G. Axt, CDT, CCS, CSI, SCIP Specifications Consultant Axt Consulting LLC Lynn Javoroski FCSI CCS LEED® AP SCIP Affiliate Senior Member Username: lynn_javoroski Post Number: 2313 Registered: 07-2002 Posted on Monday, March 06, 2023 - 12:20 pm:    I used to have (and probably still do somewhere) a three column list of words. To construct a description of something, you chose a 3 digit number and then used the corresponding words, one from each column. Meaningless? Yup. But it sounded good to anyone who wasn't thinking. Rosa Cheney Senior Member Username: rdcaia Post Number: 28 Registered: 07-2018 Posted on Monday, March 06, 2023 - 12:21 pm:    What's this about ducks named Rosa? Speaking of ducks...can you imagine a duck out-running you at the NYC Marathon? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hFEFdufsj50 Lynn Javoroski FCSI CCS LEED® AP SCIP Affiliate Senior Member Username: lynn_javoroski Post Number: 2314 Registered: 07-2002 Posted on Monday, March 06, 2023 - 12:50 pm:    Louise Penny is the author, and the books revolve around residents of a small town near Montreal called Three Pines. One of the characters, Ruth, has a duck named Rosa. Ruth has had Rosa since Rosa hatched. Nathan Woods, RA, CSI, CCCA, LEED AP Senior Member Username: nwoods Post Number: 911 Registered: 08-2005 Posted on Monday, March 06, 2023 - 01:27 pm:    Thread the Needle is often a reference to the biblical parable taught by Jesus when he said it was more difficult for a wealthy man to enter Heaven than it was for a camel to pass through the Eye of the Needle (Mat 19:24). The background on this is rather important. The Eye of the Needle refers to a small man-door in a main gate to a walled city (such as Jerico). In order for a camel to pass through the eye, it has to be on its knees, with all its saddle bags removed. That imagery really paints the picture of what Jesus was talking about. Lynn Javoroski FCSI CCS LEED® AP SCIP Affiliate Senior Member Username: lynn_javoroski Post Number: 2315 Registered: 07-2002 Posted on Monday, March 06, 2023 - 02:17 pm:    Nathan, thanks for that information. I had forgotten about the camel being on its knees and with no baggage. (I was being sarcastic when I wrote "something to do with camels" as I thought everyone here would know the reference, being learned individuals.) I am also a sewer, and as I get older, it becomes more difficult for me to thread a needle (grin). Loretta Sheridan Senior Member Username: leshrdn Post Number: 76 Registered: 11-2021 Posted on Monday, March 06, 2023 - 02:55 pm:    I spent time in grad school in literature. Talk about jargon! I used to play PoMo Bingo at conferences. That helped keep me awake during paper presentations. Loretta Sheridan Senior Member Username: leshrdn Post Number: 77 Registered: 11-2021 Posted on Monday, March 06, 2023 - 03:01 pm:    I thought this was hysterically funny when I was in grad school in literature: https://www.elsewhere.org/pomo/ (Refresh the screen a few times.) That was also when the "Sokal Affair" happened. Again, being in the lit world of academia, I though it was funny. A very "emperor's new clothes" moment. However, it didn't go down well with a lot of academics in the humanities. Phil Kabza Senior Member Username: phil_kabza Post Number: 748 Registered: 12-2002 Posted on Monday, March 06, 2023 - 03:24 pm:    Not to be missed is the List of Banned Words, compliments of the Lake Superior State College Unicorn Hunters: https://www.lssu.edu/traditions/banishedwords/ Phil Kabza FCSI CCS AIA SpecGuy Specifications Consultants www.SpecGuy.com phil@specguy.com Lynn Javoroski FCSI CCS LEED® AP SCIP Affiliate Senior Member Username: lynn_javoroski Post Number: 2316 Registered: 07-2002 Posted on Monday, March 06, 2023 - 04:07 pm:    I applaud banishing overused words, especially when they are used casually and not in their intended sense. There's nothing wrong with the words "journey" or "amazing" for example, when used appropriately. (or even together - I have had amazing journeys). Steven Bruneel, Retired Architect Senior Member Username: redseca2 Post Number: 714 Registered: 12-2006 Posted on Monday, March 06, 2023 - 04:30 pm:    Perhaps I was trying to escape a world made entirely of jargon to a new world literally set in concrete when In the 1970's I switched college major from philosophy to architecture. But alas, I soon had in my hands the Kenneth Frampton essay "Frontality versus Rotation" and realized there was to be no escape. Jeffrey Wilson CSI CCS SCIP Senior Member Username: wilsonconsulting Post Number: 351 Registered: 03-2006 Posted on Monday, March 06, 2023 - 06:44 pm:    David, your post certainly generated a lot of responses. I do agree with your other post about activity on the 4specs Forum, though, and have assumed it is due to a reduction in the number of dedicated specifiers. As for "threading the needle," I dispute the biblical citation and have always assumed the more literal reference to sewing suggested by Lynn. There is no "thread" in the parable. The saying is similar to "walking a thin line" or balancing opposing views. Threading a sewing needle is a precise task and there is a "thin line" between inserting the thread in the eye hole or missing the target. I don't think there is any judgment associated with it to suggest worthiness to enter another realm. Also, Lynn, is one who sews really a "sewer"? I wouldn't care for the association with storm or sanitary sewers! I suppose "seamstress" could be considered sexist. How about "seamist"? Or "seamsmith"? Other suggestions? Jeffrey Wilson CCS CSI SCIP Wilson Consulting Inc Narberth PA David G. Axt, CDT, CCS, CSI, SCIP Senior Member Username: david_axt Post Number: 2004 Registered: 03-2002 Posted on Monday, March 06, 2023 - 08:02 pm:    Years ago I was approached by Katerra to apply for a position. I did my "due dilegence" and checked out their webpage. I read it. I reread it. I read it again. I read it a fourth time. I think I gave up on the fifth or sixth time. I am college educated, have writers in my family, and write for a living. I had no freaking clue what they were talking about. The website was so filled with $10 marketing jargon words that tried to sound impressive. I wish I had saved it. It would have been a great lesson. David G. Axt, CDT, CCS, CSI, SCIP Specifications Consultant Axt Consulting LLC Lynn Javoroski FCSI CCS LEED® AP SCIP Affiliate Senior Member Username: lynn_javoroski Post Number: 2317 Registered: 07-2002 Posted on Monday, March 06, 2023 - 08:42 pm:    Jeffrey, the meaning of the word "sewer" like many others in our language, depends on the pronunciation. (lead or lead, for example; I'm sure we can all think of others). Yes, "seamstress:, like "stewardess" or "actress" is definitely sexist. "Seamist" could be referring to a fog on the ocean. "Seamsmith" is a possibility, I suppose. But not all sewing has to do with a seam. "Sewer" is, I propose, the simplest term. And I like simple. No need for obfuscation. Loretta Sheridan Senior Member Username: leshrdn Post Number: 78 Registered: 11-2021 Posted on Tuesday, March 07, 2023 - 08:34 am:    David Axt -- You certainly dodged a bullet on that Katerra thing! I, too, was approached, and I did apply. And heard nothing. Not even a "thank you for your interest." The person who contacted me disappeared. And all this was before they could've started circling the drain. Thank goodness that job didn't pan out!! Whew! James Sandoz, AIA, CSI, CCS Senior Member Username: jsandoz Post Number: 366 Registered: 06-2005 Posted on Tuesday, March 07, 2023 - 08:56 am:    I had to re-read Lynn's term 'sewer' but it did sink into my thick skull after a moment. Of course, a sewer of garments is a different thing than a sower of seeds. I took a philosophy course in college. On the first day of class, immediately after the professor introduced himself, he dryly stated "Jargon is the most deadly of the inert gasses." He was so right. David G. Axt, CDT, CCS, CSI, SCIP Senior Member Username: david_axt Post Number: 2005 Registered: 03-2002 Posted on Tuesday, March 07, 2023 - 12:22 pm:    Loretta, We are getting a bit off topic here. I found it so puzzling that the person I was talking to could not explain what Katerra did or what I would do for them. The interviewer either A) did not know what Katerra did or B) did not want to reveal their secret sauce for fear someone was going to copy it and beat them at their own game. I had to repeat back what I thought I heard the interviewer say. Then ask him for a confirmation. As best I could tell I would write specifications for products that would then be manufacturered in offshore. Supposedly that was cheaper than just buying the premade item off the shelf. Like Theranos, I think Katerra had lofty dreams of revolutionizing the construction industry but did not know how they would set about actually doing it. David G. Axt, CDT, CCS, CSI, SCIP Specifications Consultant Axt Consulting LLC Margaret G. Chewning FCSI CCS Senior Member Username: presbspec Post Number: 359 Registered: 01-2003 Posted on Tuesday, March 07, 2023 - 04:28 pm:    OK Guys and Gals, As a person who sews alot, may I straighten out that term at least. The proper word to use is "sewist" at least according to various sewing guilds of which I am acquainted. Lynn Javoroski FCSI CCS LEED® AP SCIP Affiliate Senior Member Username: lynn_javoroski Post Number: 2319 Registered: 07-2002 Posted on Tuesday, March 07, 2023 - 08:41 pm:    I've never heard that word! Thanks! (Although I have to admit that what first came to mind is "sew", "sewer", "sewist" - grim) John Bunzick Senior Member Username: bunzick Post Number: 1908 Registered: 03-2002 Posted on Sunday, March 12, 2023 - 09:31 pm:    I don't know if those are really jargon. I think jargon are occupational terms of art that outsiders wouldn't know. Of course, there are many of those in architecture and design. This list just seems to me to be idiomatic expressions, some of which are centuries old. Plus, most are so common that any native English speaker would know them. In that case, they aren't really jargon. Idioms come and go, and we may bristle when we don't understand the newest ones. But, isn't that the way language is? Lynn Javoroski FCSI CCS LEED® AP SCIP Affiliate Senior Member Username: lynn_javoroski Post Number: 2320 Registered: 07-2002 Posted on Sunday, March 12, 2023 - 09:53 pm:    John, that is the way language has to be or it dies. It's not always with jargon and slang, either; it's with imported words, newly coined words in response to new technology (for instance), and sometimes words that are mixed up - and just mixed. “The problem with defending the purity of the English language is that English is about as pure as a cribhouse whore. We don't just borrow words; on occasion, English has pursued other languages down alleyways to beat them unconscious and rifle their pockets for new vocabulary.” (James D. Nicoll) Dave Metzger Senior Member Username: davemetzger Post Number: 813 Registered: 07-2001 Posted on Monday, March 13, 2023 - 08:48 am:    I'm with John Bunzick on this, for idioms vs jargon. Robert Campbell FAIA, a Pulitzer Prize winner and former architecture critic for the Boston Globe, created the phrase “archispeak” to describe the self-important, indecipherable jargon used in writings of architecture theory and schools of architecture. He wrote a wonderful essay about this, where he punctures the pretentiousness of archispeak. I don’t have it at hand, but if anyone wants a copy send me your address and I’ll scan it and email you a pdf copy. metzgercd@comcast.net John Bunzick Senior Member Username: bunzick Post Number: 1909 Registered: 03-2002 Posted on Tuesday, April 18, 2023 - 03:26 pm:    Dave. Which reminds me of "curator speak." Those who go to a lot of art museums, like me, will notice that some of the wall labels next to works are nearly indecipherable. I've been looking at art since my parents took me to museums in NYC as a child; I'm pretty well versed without formal art education. Who are those labels talking too if I can't readily understand them? I should note that only some museums do this, and the trend is towards improvement.