Advanced & Post Reading Material (APRM)

EPP- II BELH 2004, 2024-25 GLA U, Mathura

MODULE I: Corporate Jargon, Slangs and Clichés
Corporate Jargons 14. Let's take this offline. To suggest
discussing something in private.
What are Jargons: In communication, jargon
refers to the language used by a particular 15. Low-hanging fruit. Low-effort tasks with
high-yield results.
group or profession to talk about things that
happen in that profession 16. Make hay. Taking advantage of an
opportunity.
1.Above my paygrade. Outside the scope of
17. Micromanager. A boss who excessively
your responsibility and/or needs to be
observes and controls team members.
addressed by someone higher up.
18. Office drone. A white-collar worker who
2.Back burner. A task or responsibility that
does the same mundane tasks from day to
you will revisit at a later date.
day.
3.Bandwidth. Related to workload and the
19. One-on-one. A regularly scheduled
ability and/or time to address a situation. "I
meeting or check-in between two people
don't have the bandwidth to complete that
-- usually, a manager and employee.
task."
20. Per my last email. A polite way of
4.C l o c k w a t c h e r. A n e m p l o y e e w h o
telling someone you've already addressed
continually looks at the time waiting for the
their question in a previous email.
workday to be over.
21. Put a pin in it. Putting something on
5.Core competencies. An organization's or
hold, intending to come back to it later.
person's strengths, including skills,
knowledge and capabilities. 22. Put out a fire. Addressing an expected
problem.
6.Deep dive. A thorough analysis of
something. 23. Reinvent the wheel. Recreating
something that already exists, often
7.Deliverable. An item that must be produced
unnecessarily.
at the end of a project.
24. Run the numbers. Performing
8.Drill down. Analyzing something more in
numerical calculations -- often used in
depth.
accounting and other financial
9.Flesh out. Providing more information about departments.
something.
25. Stand-up. A brief daily meeting to
10.Game changer. A newly introduced discuss goals and plans for the day.
element that significantly affects an existing
26. Think outside the box. Pondering or
situation.
brainstorming unusual and off-the-
11.Hard stop. A specific end time for beaten-path ideas.
something because you have something
27. Throw under the bus. Blaming
scheduled immediately behind it.
someone else to avoid negative
12.Herding cats. A negative phrase used by consequences or gain an advantage.
managers to describe a team that is difficult to
28. Top-down. A management approach
deal with.
where business leaders make
13. Let's circle back on that. To suggest companywide decisions that then filter
talking about something again later. down to the employees.
 Advanced & Post Reading Material (APRM)
EPP- II BELH 2004, 2024-25 GLA U, Mathura
MODULE I: Corporate Jargon, Slangs and Clichés
29. Trim the fat. When a business reduces 13. Hold your horses: Wait a minute!
unnecessary expenditures to save money.
14. I feel you: I understand/empathize with
30. You're crushing it. Doing something you
extremely well and/or exceeding goals.’
Slangs 15. It is what it is: it’s a fact that cannot be
changed.
A slang is a vocabulary (words, phrases, and
linguistic usages) of an informal register, 16. Jacked: really strong/muscular, “He’s
common in verbal conversation but avoided in jacked”
formal writing. It also sometimes refers to the
17. Lemon: a bad buy or purchase.
language generally exclusive to the members
of particular in-groups in order to establish 18. Lighten up (v.): To relax; to not take
group identity, exclude outsiders, or both. things too seriously. "You gotta learn to
lighten up a bit!"
1. (To) ace (v.): To pass a test, exam, etc.
really easily. "Robert aced his physics 19. My Bad: my fault or my mistake.
exam."
20. Once in a blue moon: infrequently
2. All-ears: When someone says "I'm all
21. Pass the buck: transfer responsibility to
ears", they are telling you that they are
someone else.
listening to you, that they are giving you
their undivided attention. 22. Piece of cake: easy or effortless.

3. Are you kidding me? Phrase often used 23. Put up a front: trying to act/appear
rhetorically to express frustration or tough
excitement.
24. Screw up (v.): To make a mistake, do
4. Blue or Have the Blues: to feel depressed something badly/wrong “I really screwed
or sad up my audition."

5. By the skin of your teeth: just barely 25. Spill the beans: reveal a secret.

6. Couch Potato: a lazy person, one who sits 26. Take for granted: to assume.
on a couch and watches TV.
27. Twenty four seven (24/7): Non-stop,
7. Drive up the wall: to irritate; “He is around the clock. "That place is open
driving me up the wall.” 24/7. It never closes."

8. Dutch or go Dutch: each person pays for 28. Wrap up (v.): To finish; to bring
his/her own meal. something to a close. "OK, let's wrap
things up for today."
9. Get under one’s skin: bother
29. You can say that again! Phrase meaning
10. Give the cold shoulder: ignore
"I agree with you completely."
11. Hit the books: study.

12. Hit the road: to leave.

Cliché
 Advanced & Post Reading Material (APRM)
EPP- II BELH 2004, 2024-25 GLA U, Mathura
MODULE I: Corporate Jargon, Slangs and Clichés
A cliché is a tired, stale phrase or idiom that, 9. What goes around comes around : used
because of overuse, has lost its impact. What to say that if someone treats other people
was once a fresh way of looking at something badly he or she will a bad egg : someone
has become a weak prop for writing that feels who does bad things
unimaginative and dull. Clichés are what you
10. a bed of roses : a place or situation of
write when you don’t have the energy or
agreeable ease
inspiration to think of a new way to express an
idea.’’ 11. Cat got your tongue? : ‘A comment made
when someone is unaccountably or
1. play your cards right : to act cleverly,
unusually quiet, as in We haven't heard
sensibly, or cautiously: e.g. - If you play
from you all morning—has the cat got your
your cards right, you may get mentioned in
tongue?’
her will.
12. Read between the lines : ‘look for or
2. better safe than sorry : used to say that it is
discover a meaning that is implied rather
better to be careful now so that problems do
than explicitly stated.’
not occur later on. E.g., It's probably not
necessary to check the figures again, but it's 13. Only time will tell : used to say that the
better to be safe than sorry. results of a situation will be known only
after a certain amount of time has passed.
3. the grass is always greener on the other
side : used to say that the things a person 14. In the nick of time : just before the last
does not have always seem more appealing moment when something can be changed
than the things he or she does have. or something bad will happen

4. ignorance is bliss: used to say that a person 15. In a jiffy : a very short period of time
who does not know about a problem does
16. The time of my life : to enjoy oneself very
not worry about it.
much : to have a lot of fun
5. Cry over spilled milk : to express vain
17. As old as the hills : very old
regrets for what cannot be recovered or
undone 18. Fit as a fiddle : in good physical
condition : very healthy and strong
6. All’s well that ends well : used to say that
a person can forget about how unpleasant 19. A diamond in the rough : one having
or difficult something was because exceptional qualities or potential but
everything ended in a good way lacking refinement or polish

7. Haste makes waste : used to say that 20. Nerves of steel : an impressive ability to
doing something too quickly causes remain calm in dangerous or difficult
mistakes that result in time, effort, situations
materials, etc., being wasted
21. Every cloud has a silver lining : used to
8. The writing’s on the wall : an omen or say that every bad situation holds the
sign of one's unpleasant fate possibility of something good
 Advanced & Post Reading Material (APRM)
EPP- II BELH 2004, 2024-25 GLA U, Mathura
MODULE I: Corporate Jargon, Slangs and Clichés
22. eventually be treated badly by someone
else