Phrasing in a professional environment

A lot of words to mean getting the bad end of the deal etc are based around sex. Buggered, fucked, screwed.

It's an interesting topic.

Urgh. I suppose 'shafted' and 'screwed' have become too commonplace and lost shock value.

I had someone use "rape" in a meeting the other day, it was something about trade

Just grim.

i would be surprised if this was not about women. It's the only way it makes sense and it does if you're a misogynist.

When a woman is all wrapped up in a kimino her body is hidden - you can't see what you're "getting".

So if a woman is offered to you for sex / you are buying one, you need to "open the kimono" to see what you're actually "getting".

The visual image is of a man opening a woman's garments to see her naked body underneath.

I mean that's clearly what it's going to refer to, surely.

Maybe he doesn't know that kimono only means a garment or robe, perhaps he thought it had another meaning such as curtain. It's amazing how many people, even reasonably clever people, use the wrong words.

Huh?

'Maybe he blah blah blah'. He knows what he means.

"Let's roll back the foreskin"

"Let's examine the prostate"

Maybe he doesn't know that kimono only means a garment or robe, perhaps he thought it had another meaning such as curtain. It's amazing how many people, even reasonably clever people, use the wrong words.

It would be a good idea to ask the man why he used that expression and hear his explanation. I would have said, "I've never heard that before, what exactly do you mean?", then explain to him that what he said was exactly the same as "Unbutton the blouse", or even, "Unzip the flies". He wouldn't say it again!

It's just so unnecessary (like a lot of management speak, TBH)

Though I do have a soft spot for "showing some ankle", used in the context of dangling some bait in order to provoke a reaction, even though I know I shouldn't (another of my Bad Feminist habits)

Here's some discussion of the usage and derivation
text.npr.org/s.php?sId=360479744

I think if I heard anyone use it I'd ask them to explain what the heck they meant.

The 'meaning' of the phrase is apparently 'Open kimono means to reveal what is being planned or to share important information freely. Similar to ''open the books'' or an "open door policy," opening the kimono means revealing the inner workings of a project or company to an outside party. Also referred to as "open (up) one's kimono."'

So the 'senior man' wasn't even using this unpleasant buzz phrase appropriately, from the context she gave.

But it still doesn't make sense. The OP said a senior man said we need to "open the kimono" to understand what's going on in one of our systems

On your explanation what is under the kimono isn't a mystery. Why do they need to unwrap it to understand what is there?

It is sexist, racist and incomprehensible.

Whenever heard that expression I always imagined a man whipping open his kimono and flashing (from behind and wearing baggy white sports socks). I have no idea where I got that mental picture from!

I was just discussing this thread with my dh who is both in IT so very familiar with systems analysis and also very interested in Japanese culture. He said it was actually a very good analogy, if completely inappropriate in a business setting. Japanese women don't really wear kimonos very much any more, but traditionally did not wear underwear with a kimono and Japanese popular culture (eg in manga and anime) features jokes similar to those about Scottish men wearing kilts. He said that there is quite the idea that women wear beautiful kimonos on special occasions as a type of 'gift wrapping', so 'open the kimono' does make sense. I'd suggest not only sexist but also potentially racially insensitive (might be a better angle if you were thinking of complaining OP - technically kimono is a unisex term so you could get headed off with that defense even though it's pretty obvious what the intent was).

I've never heard "open the kimono" before, so besides any issues around sexism or racism, it's inappropriate for being incomprehensible

Me too.

It also makes no sense. Presumably it's meant in the sense of "let's drill down into this/ find out what this is really about". Whereas what is under a kimono will be underwear - hardly surprising or difficult to work out.

I've never heard "open the kimono" before, so besides any issues around sexism or racism, it's inappropriate for being incomprehensible.

Re bang for your buck - it's getting more for your money from the prostitute you are paying.

Doesn’t bang for your buck refer to a bigger bomb for your money?

It does, but I do not think anyone is surprised that some d00d sexualized it with a nudge nudge wink wink.

A senior manager, in a staff meeting said, "we can't just lie back and let ourselves be raped". I got to explain to him afterwards why it was so inappropriate. He was bewildered as to why anyone would find it offensive.

My personal favourite, recounted to me by a female colleague after she emerged from a meeting where the rest of the participants were male:

‘Right, it’s time to put our cocks on the table.”

That little gem courtesy of a Partner in one of the Big Four.

But...men wear kimono. It's really not uncommon, particularly historically

It is still racist.

What about have a keek up its kilt?

open the kimono

But...men wear kimono. It's really not uncommon, particularly historically.

I'm entirely puzzled. Why use a Japanese item of clothing? Is there more context - Japanese firm/major client? Some dodgy reference to geisha? In which case, barf.

"Let's pull down its trousers and see what we've got"

Please someone drop this one in a meeting and see what happens and report back. I don't work in an office anymore so can't try it.

I can just imagine the ewwwwws.

I was in a meeting once talking about training new staff in compliance and a senior male said "we just want them to get wet enough". O course, I was too junior and submissive to say anteing. But now - thanks poster above - I'd tear him a new one.

OP - you've got me thinking about Finchy from The Office now....

X posted 🙄

Never heard that before but it's horrible & utterly inappropriate.

holidaylady
I also hate "more bang for your buck"
May i ask why, i thought it was from US (WW2??) military- more fighting power/bombs for same budget.