MetaChat REGISTER   ||   LOGIN   ||   IMAGES ARE OFF   ||   RECENT COMMENTS




artphoto by splunge
artphoto by TheophileEscargot
artphoto by Kronos_to_Earth
artphoto by ethylene

Home

About

Search

Archives

Mecha Wiki

Metachat Eye

Emcee

IRC Channels

IRC FAQ


 RSS


Comment Feed:

♦ RSS

MetaChat is an informal place for MeFites to touch base and post, discuss and chatter about topics that may not belong on MetaFilter. Questions? Check the FAQ. Please note: This is important.

30 November 2006

Getting a Jump on End-of-Year stuff, I would like to know which catchphrase →[More:]you or people around you have been using that you are tired of hearing come out of your own or others' mouths.

For me, it would be. . ."it is what it is."
post by: danf at: 10:52 | 78 comments
I hated constantly hearing the trendy business catch-phrase "proactive" at the last company I worked for because it's so old and overused, but here I just wish somebody would actually use the word once.
posted by shane 30 November | 10:57
The i'm in your x, ying your z meme is killing me.
posted by sciurus 30 November | 11:09
'savage focus'
posted by jonmc 30 November | 11:10
'Leave now or I will call the police.'
posted by cortex 30 November | 11:20
STOP IT WITH THE "I'M IN YOUR X, YING YOUR Z" SHIT ALREADY!!!!!!
posted by cmonkey 30 November | 11:21
im in ur intarweb sayin ur catchphrases! (with devilish laugh)
posted by clevershark 30 November | 11:25
"fucking shit"

stop it with the shit fucking already
gross
posted by ethylene 30 November | 11:28
stop it with the shit fucking already


After a number of years in my personal lexicon, "fuck that shit" remains in the rotation. I am not much prone to this kind of language, so when I do trot it out, it usually has some sort of desired effect.

So, "fuck that shit" stays. . .I'm sorry.
posted by danf 30 November | 11:30
My manager has recently starting saying he would "ping" people for meetings, updates etc. The moment I heard it, I WANTED IT TO STOP.
posted by richat 30 November | 11:34
danf: i was being more literal but what you do in the privacy of your consensual relationship is all you

Wheeee!!!!!
posted by ethylene 30 November | 11:35
I picked up "fuck that noise" from cmonkey a year or two back, via mefi, and have loved it ever since.
posted by cortex 30 November | 11:35
Oh, and one I do enjoy trotting out in the inimitable danf fashion, is this response to the old "how are you" question:

Person: "Hi richat, how are you?"
Me: "Still living the dream"

People seem to enjoy that.
posted by richat 30 November | 11:36
"This is where the magic happens"
posted by iconomy 30 November | 11:38
aww, i have "fuck that noise" nostalgia now.
posted by ethylene 30 November | 11:39
Sorry for going off-topic. BUT I'M SICK OF THESE FUCKING OFFICE POT LUCKS EVERY DAMN MONTH. ONCE OR TWICE A YEAR IS PLENTY! I skipped out of the last one and actually got a talking to from the boss. Can't I sue her for something?
posted by danostuporstar 30 November | 11:43

Person: "Hi richat, how are you?"
Me: "Still living the dream"


I'm stealing that one. . .
posted by danf 30 November | 11:46
In college, I started saying "Balls!" as an expletive, to replace shit or fuck. Now, a few of my high school friends are working at the same company as me. Imagine my surprise when a coworker on my bowling team uttered that phrase when he screwed up a shot!

That phrase is so over, now.
posted by muddgirl 30 November | 11:47
Slight tangent:

I have the *worst* habit of adopting an annoying catchphrase specfically to piss people off, and then being unable to shake it. Man, that sucks.
posted by gaspode 30 November | 11:48
I'm stealing that one. . .

Me too. I already stole it and used it. Twice. With mixed results. The first person just stared at me and blinked. The second person laughed.
posted by iconomy 30 November | 11:49
I have the *worst* habit of adopting an annoying catchphrase specfically to piss people off, and then being unable to shake it. Man, that sucks.


Well I was for telling you but the others thought you'd just go off.
posted by danf 30 November | 11:58
It's not a catchphrase, really, but the next person to use "gift" as a verb around me (i.e., "gifting") is looking for a swift kick in the mistletoe.
posted by BoringPostcards 30 November | 12:00
Glad to share. It's a good one, I think. Make sure that you are clearly NOT living a dream when you use it though. It's no good saying that while buying a new maserati, or, a fancy purse, or whatever a good dream would be.
posted by richat 30 November | 12:00
"Shoot me an email." The email, she does not shoot. Really.

The various manglings of "discomfort" that one of my otherwise intelligent professors is prone to. I've heard: uncomfort, uncomfortableness, discomfortableness, uncomfortability. I suppose that's not a catchphrase, but it's making me question my sanity.
posted by occhiblu 30 November | 12:06
I'd like to stop "massaging data" at work.
posted by rainbaby 30 November | 12:06
Me: "Still living the dream"


Hehe, this reminds me of this awesome Indian dude my friends and I used to work with. We all had the title of "analyst" and worked disgusting hours. This guy would say things like, "You're a super-star analyst, man!" and "Lovin' it, man!" in a thick accent. I guess it's kinda frat-boyish, but exclaiming "Lovin' it, man!" in his accent is very, very satisfying to me.
posted by mullacc 30 November | 12:10
I'd like to stop "massaging data" at work.

Please tell me you're kidding.
posted by jonmc 30 November | 12:11
I like 'it is what it is.' I'd also like to see 'everything is everything' come back. I had high hopes when that Lauryn Hill song came out, but nope.

At work, I'd like to stop 'being on the front lines.' And, like many people in my line of work, I'd like to never hear about 'customers, not patrons,' or 'the retail model,' ever again.
posted by box 30 November | 12:12
Dude, I didn't know there was anything to do with data but massage it.
posted by mullacc 30 November | 12:12
Oh, you can massage prose, too.

I have no idea how that one was deemed fit for an office.
posted by occhiblu 30 November | 12:14
'Leave now or I will call the police.'
Heehee. I just now saw this. I laughed out loud.
posted by iconomy 30 November | 12:16
"The perfect storm." There are far too many perfect storms happening these days. Not every storm is perfect, dammit.
posted by me3dia 30 November | 12:19
Oh, you can massage prose, too.

wouldn't it be more fun to simply give it electro-shock therapy?
posted by jonmc 30 November | 12:20
I had an annoying architecture professor once who always talked about how she'd gone to Yale and how we needed to "massage" our designs. She always made this little gesture with her hands and I always wanted to puke.

My catch phrase? Anything containing the word "interface" when not refering to computer science.
posted by Specklet 30 November | 12:20
My catch phrase? Anything containing the word "interface" when not refering to computer science.


Or ultrasound. My friend is an ultrasound tech and she always talks about the interface of different types of tissues in the body being the reason that ultrasound works.
posted by danf 30 November | 12:24
Nope. Still bugs me. I know that technically "interface" means linkage between two things. But it should only be used referring to computers.

You know, the internets.
posted by Specklet 30 November | 12:32
Huh, I didn't know "interface" actually dates back to the 19th century, meaning "a surface forming a common boundary, as between bodies or regions". Yay for book learnin. Also, this is my 2000th metachat comment. Hurray!
posted by cmonkey 30 November | 12:44
"Let's bottom this out" and "take this offline" are two popular ones at my work. Rough translation: "we need to think about this tricky issue in some detail (probably outside this meeting because there is more to it than meets the eye)" and "deal with this tricky issue outside this meeting". Both of them make me want to reach for a revolver and blow people's heads off.

(These are both examples of UK Government slang, btw - more here: ~(warning PDF).
posted by greycap 30 November | 12:52
I would like to nominate these: leveraging, synergies, transversal, elevator meetings, metrics
posted by TheDonF 30 November | 12:55
But but but sometimes elevator meetings are sex-ay!
posted by Specklet 30 November | 12:58
Oh, man, I forgot about "take this offline." Awful.

And "granular." I'm tired of hearing the word "granular" used in a business context.
posted by occhiblu 30 November | 13:00
This is one you hear in the media more than in conversation, but "price point" also needs to die a quick and ugly death.
posted by BoringPostcards 30 November | 13:01
Oh dear god I agree, granular is awful.

"Mainstreaming" also gets used a lot in government work. "We need to mainstream this policy"; "let's mainstream some of the lessons learned". Gah.
posted by greycap 30 November | 13:07
How could "granular" possibly be used in a business context?
posted by Specklet 30 November | 13:07
If one is in the sugar business.
posted by jonmc 30 November | 13:09
For me, it would be. . ."it is what it is."

For once, I'd like to be able to say, "Yeah, and what 'it is' is SHIT!"
posted by TrishaLynn 30 November | 13:19
"Due diligence" used as a verb. As in, "there might be issues there, let's due diligence this..."

Every time I hear it I die a little inside.
posted by clevershark 30 November | 13:20
I say "sweeeeet," far too often.
posted by JanetLand 30 November | 13:29
Damn, I say "granularity" and "ping" a lot because I find them to be an accurate and concise way of saying what I'm describing. So I'm keeping them.

I really can't stand "pain points" in a business context, though; and "happy path" makes me giggle now because it evokes the thought of Specklet heading to the ladies' room for a pleasure break.
posted by matildaben 30 November | 13:31
I'm sure I couldn't possibly know what you mean.
posted by Specklet 30 November | 13:34
"This information is too granular. We need to be more big-picture" or "Let's not get sidetracked by the granular right now."

It's like "nitty-gritty" evolved and took on a life of its own. And the person at my company who uses it is a "big-picture guy," so it's also always used a bit derisively, and since my job is basically struggling to supply the details for the various poorly thought-out "big picture" concepts people come up with, I'm just getting sick of feeling like he thinks my work is crawling with ants.
posted by occhiblu 30 November | 13:34
How could "granular" possibly be used in a business context?

Here's how I've heard it used:
"This data is not granular enough for our purposes."

Meaning that the set of data we obtained didn't not have enough detail. Maybe this isn't perfectly correct, but it never really bothered me.

"Due diligence" used as a verb.

In contexts other than actual due diligence? That is annoying. But in reference to actual due diligence sessions it doesn't bother me so much.

"Shoot me an email." The email, she does not shoot. Really.

This annoys you? Really? Really? That seems just overly sensitive to me. Like getting annoyed when someone says "it cost me an arm and a leg!"--ya know, they didn't actually give up a limb.
posted by mullacc 30 November | 13:35
Meaning that the set of data we obtained didn't not have enough detail.

...didn't not...
posted by mullacc 30 November | 13:37
mats, I think my problem with it is that everyone who is *supposed* to be supplying me with the details of various projects so that I can write them up tends to dismiss my questions with airy disdain for "the granular," so its use has become a guarantee that the person using it has NO IDEA how the project he's describing is actually supposed to be put into practice.

On preview: mullacc, it's just that "shoot me an email" has become such an automatic phrase, so it's so totally cliche. No one who uses it is being clever, but they sound like they think they're being clever using "shoot" rather then "send."
posted by occhiblu 30 November | 13:37
I really can't stand "pain points" in a business context, though; and "happy path" makes me giggle now because it evokes the thought of Specklet heading to the ladies' room for a pleasure break.
posted by matildaben 30 November | 13:31

I'm sure I couldn't possibly know what you mean.
posted by Specklet 30 November | 13:34


Now we are getting GRANULAR!
posted by danf 30 November | 13:42
I guess if someone laid it on thick, I could see your point. But when I say it, it's usually a cell phone conversation like:
Them: "When are you guys getting to the restaurant?"
Me: "I think around 7, but I'll shoot you an email if we're running late."

Maybe it's a Blackberry culture thing--which is a whole other world of annoying.
posted by mullacc 30 November | 13:48
Maybe it's a Blackberry culture thing

you mean like fruit yogurt?
posted by jonmc 30 November | 13:51
I think of graulariy not as the detail of the data, but as how fine grained the abilty to control something should be.
posted by StickyCarpet 30 November | 13:52
around here there is a rash of BAD grammar. for instance: you note a notation. you do Not NOTATE.
that is not a word.
*cringe*
posted by karim satasha 30 November | 13:53
My personal catchphrase is "no problem," which actually used to grate on a boss's nerves.
posted by drezdn 30 November | 13:57
*shoots jonmc*
posted by mullacc 30 November | 14:02
I use "granularity" in a software engineering context, where it makes more sense, I think. Do you want to know about this issue at the business level, or what components it touches, or what classes/methods, or exact lines of code? That is, what level you want to "zoom in" on it (to switch to a photography metaphor).

I would get annoyed too if people used it in the way occhiblu describes.

I'm pretty peeved about "begs the question" abuse, but it seems like 90% of the instances I come across are the incorrect one, so probably it's a new meaning that's slipping into the language, and there's nothing my whining can do to change that.
posted by matildaben 30 November | 14:03
Oooh, also "pinging an email". No. Just no.
I'm aware of the "begging the question thing" but am never sure whether I've used it correctly or not. I suspect not.
posted by TheDonF 30 November | 14:13
someone around me just said "it is what it is"
i nearly choked on my blazin' buffalo & ranch doritos....
posted by karim satasha 30 November | 14:19
Mine? When, in a commercial, I'm instructed to "log on" to a website. OK, if I do actually have to log on, no problem. But they usually just mean "visit" or "go to."
posted by mrmoonpie 30 November | 14:20
What we need to do now is feed all of the words that come up in this thread into the code for the web economy bullshit generator.

"Let's bottom out the granularity of this data without massaging it too much. After all, it is what it is - we'd better due diligence this"... etc.
posted by greycap 30 November | 15:06
But greycap, you're begging the question of what to do once we have it. Shoot me an email offline and we'll interface. Maybe ping TheDonF and get him proactively working on it; he can log into the web for more background info.
posted by occhiblu 30 November | 15:20
Slight tangent:

I have the *worst* habit of adopting an annoying catchphrase specfically to piss people off, and then being unable to shake it. Man, that sucks.
posted by gaspode 30 November | 11:48

You and me both, sister.
posted by Frisbee Girl 30 November | 15:48
But greycap, you're begging the question of what to do once we have it. Shoot me an email offline and we'll interface. Maybe ping TheDonF and get him proactively working on it; he can log into the web for more background info.

You stated that with savage focus.
posted by jonmc 30 November | 15:55
I'm all about the savage focus. It allows me to live the dream.
posted by occhiblu 30 November | 15:57
That's granular, yo.
posted by jonmc 30 November | 16:05
Excuse me, I'm going to take a bio-break.
posted by mullacc 30 November | 16:09
"Ducks in a row". WTF, people? Really, WTF?
posted by TheDonF 30 November | 16:13
*shoots the ducks in a row. with an email.*
posted by jonmc 30 November | 16:15
Thanks jonmc. * rejoices in duck feathers floating slowly downwards *

Everything I've posted in this thread is spouted by one person I work with - she is seemingly addicted to corporate speak. At one point we tried to add "we don't want to get left in the pond" into conversations, but no one could manage it.
posted by TheDonF 30 November | 16:27
We don't want to get left in the pond? What the hell does that mean?

Don, I think you should start making up random corporate-speak-sounding phrases and using them, to see if she picks them up.
posted by Specklet 30 November | 17:11
Specklet - I'm actually quite good at that when I put my mind to it. As part of some stupid training session, we had to make up a phrase that sounded like corporate speak and then read that out in-amongst 2 or 3 other phrases. I fooled almost everyone in the room on numerous occasions.
posted by TheDonF 30 November | 17:37
Nearly forgot "best practices."
posted by mrmoonpie 30 November | 17:44
"Outside the box." Anyone who uses the phrase "think outside the box" clearly displays an inability to do so.
posted by jrossi4r 30 November | 17:50
← It's the little things. || THIS IS A SHOUTING THREAD! →

HOME  ||   REGISTER  ||   LOGIN
All posts and comments © their authors