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These 50 phrases come from a 2015 survey of 2,000 British office workers, reported by DJS Research. The list ranks phrases by how irritating respondents found them—not by how often people use them today. It is a useful guide to familiar workplace jargon, but not a current or universal frequency ranking.
The 50 business clichés in the survey’s ranking
The phrases below retain the source’s order and spelling. Their meanings depend on context: some can be useful shorthand when they describe a specific action, but vague wording often leaves the listener guessing.
- Blue sky thinking — open-ended brainstorming, usually without immediate constraints.
- Think outside the box — look for an unconventional approach. Say what constraints can be set aside or what alternatives to consider.
- Touch base offline — talk separately, outside the current meeting or conversation. Name the people, channel, and time.
- Close of play — by the end of the working day. Give a date and, if needed, a time and time zone.
- Going forward — from now on or in future. State when the change begins.
- No brainer — an apparently obvious choice. Explain the reason rather than implying that disagreement is foolish.
- Action that — take responsibility for completing a task. Specify the task, owner, and deadline.
- Drill down — examine a subject or data in more detail. Identify which detail matters.
- Thought shower — a brainstorming session. State the question the group needs to answer.
- Flogging a dead horse — continuing to pursue an idea or issue that is unlikely to change. Explain why it is no longer productive.
- Hot desking — using a shared workspace rather than an assigned desk. This can be a literal workplace arrangement, not just jargon.
- Heads up — an advance warning or notice. Say what is happening and when.
- It’s on my radar — I know about it and may be monitoring it. Clarify whether you will take action and by when.
- Joined up thinking — coordination across people, teams, or processes. Name who needs to coordinate and what they need to align.
- Bring to the table — contribute a skill, resource, or idea. Say which one.
- Punch a puppy — an intentionally provocative expression sometimes used to describe doing something unpopular or causing offense. Because its meaning is unclear and the image is jarring, explain the actual consequence instead.
- Run this up the flagpole — share an idea to see how people respond. Identify the audience and the decision the feedback will inform.
- Cracking the whip — pressuring people to work faster or meet a deadline. State the deadline and any support needed.
- Moving the goalposts — changing the requirements or definition of success during a task. Specify what changed.
- EOP — end of play, usually the end of the working day. Give a date and time to avoid ambiguity.
- Working fingers to the bone — working extremely hard. Describe the work or workload instead.
- Game changer — something expected to make a substantial difference. Explain what will change and for whom.
- It’s not rocket science — this is not especially difficult. It can sound dismissive; explain the steps or offer help instead.
- Hit the ground running — start effectively with little delay. State what the person should be ready to do first.
- Ping — send someone a brief message. Name the person, subject, and preferred channel.
- Low hanging fruit — an easy or readily achievable opportunity. Name the opportunity and why it is achievable.
- Singing from the same hymn sheet — sharing the same understanding or message. Say what everyone needs to agree on.
- Strategic staircase — a series of steps toward a larger strategic goal. List the steps and the intended outcome.
- Park something — set an issue aside to return to later. Say when it will be revisited and what must happen then.
- Benchmark — compare a result against a standard or reference point. Identify the measure and comparator.
- COB — close of business. State the date, time, and time zone if people may work in different locations.
- Reach out — contact someone. Say who will contact whom, about what, and when.
- Re-inventing the wheel — duplicating work or creating something that already exists. Point to the existing solution.
- Dot the I’s and cross the t’s — check the details carefully. Name the checks required.
- Best practice — a method presented as an effective standard. Say what evidence or standard makes it best in this situation.
- Al Desko — eating at one’s desk, a play on “al fresco.” Use the plain description when the detail matters.
- Backburner — postpone or deprioritize something. State its new priority and when it will be reconsidered.
- Pick it up and run with it — take ownership and move a task forward. Specify the deliverable, authority, and deadline.
- Play hardball — negotiate or act forcefully. Describe the position or action required.
- This idea has legs — the idea may be viable or worth developing. Explain what evidence supports it and what test comes next.
- Synergy — a benefit expected from combining people, teams, or resources. Identify the specific benefit.
- I’m swamped — I have too much work or too little time. State the conflicting priorities and what needs to move.
- It’s a win / win — both sides are expected to benefit. Describe each side’s benefit.
- Look under the bonnet — examine how something works internally. Say which process or component needs inspection.
- Quick and dirty — a fast, rough solution or estimate. Clarify what quality checks or limitations apply.
- Peel the onion — investigate a complicated issue layer by layer. Identify the first question to resolve.
- Out of the loop — not informed or included in a discussion. Say what information or meeting someone needs.
- Wow factor — an impressive or striking quality. Describe the effect you want and how to recognize it.
- Helicopter view — a high-level overview. Specify which details to omit and what decision the overview should support.
- Elevator pitch — a brief explanation of an idea or proposal. State the audience and the point they need to remember.
What the survey says—and what it does not
In the SPANA survey reported by DJS Research, 70% of the 2,000 British office workers surveyed said they stopped listening to their boss after hearing certain office phrases; 40% said they did not understand what their boss meant, and 74% called management speak pointless and annoying. The report also says 15% admitted occasionally using phrases such as “it’s not rocket science” and “run this up the flagpole” to sound as though they knew what they were talking about. These are self-reported findings from that survey, not estimates of how all workers behave. DJS Research’s account of the SPANA survey
Other workplace surveys offer context, but their findings are not directly comparable: they differ in year, geography, respondents, and what they measured.
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| Survey report | Who was surveyed | What it found |
|---|---|---|
| SPANA, reported by DJS Research, 2015 | 2,000 British office workers | Ranked phrases by irritation; also asked about understanding and listening. Source |
| OnePoll for Jive Communications, reported by The Washington Post, 2018 | 2,000 American workers | 27% said they tuned out people using this kind of jargon; nearly 72% said they habitually used such phrases. Its separate list included “Give 110 percent,” “Think outside the box,” “Hammer it out,” and “Heavy lifting.” Source |
| Accountemps, reported in 2014 | More than 600 HR managers at U.S. and Canadian companies with at least 20 employees | Responses included “deep dive,” “dynamic,” “leverage,” “out of pocket,” and “pick your brain.” Accountemps said earlier surveys in 2004 and 2009 had also found phrases including “win-win,” “value-added,” “think outside the box,” “leverage,” “at the end of the day,” “circle back,” and “synergy.” Source |
| Workfront, summarized by Entrepreneur, 2017 | More than 2,000 U.S. workers in its 2017–2018 State of Work survey | 47% said “think outside the box” was overused in their office; 18% cited “synergy” and 18% “bandwidth.” Source |
| Accountemps, described by the American Management Association | Telephone interviews with 150 senior executives from the nation’s 1,000 largest companies | The separate executive survey listed “leverage,” “reach out,” “it is what it is,” “viral,” “game changer,” “disconnect,” “value-add,” “circle back,” “socialize,” “interface,” and “cutting edge.” Source |
How to replace a cliché with a useful instruction
Jargon is not automatically wrong: shorthand can save time when everyone understands it and it points to a real action. Rewrite it when it obscures the request, deadline, responsibility, or result.
- Name the action: Replace “touch base offline” with “Maya and I will review the budget by video call.”
- Add a deadline: Replace “send it by close of play” with “send the revised forecast by 4 p.m. Friday, London time.”
- Identify the owner: Replace “action that” with “Jordan will send the client the revised estimate.”
- Make the outcome measurable: Replace “move the needle” with the metric and target, such as “reduce the average response time from two days to one.”
- Explain the decision: Replace “low-hanging fruit” with the specific opportunity and why it is a realistic first step.
For additional context, Accountemps’ guidance and the American Management Association’s discussion both favor clear, straightforward language over tired buzzwords. The practical test is simple: can the reader tell what to do, who will do it, by when, and what success looks like?
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