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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to wonder when the following took place and why did noone tell me?

219 replies

StealthPolarBear · 15/06/2011 21:45

For about the first 30 years of my life, 'source' was almost exclusively a noun. Now it's almost exclusively used as a verb - why?

Which "Little book of management crap" decided that the new way to say "From now" or "In the future" is "Moving forward". If I hear it one more time I will scream and pull my hair out. Which other way would we be moving, when it comes to time?

OP posts:
5DollarShake · 16/06/2011 03:31

Grin What the eff is out of pocket about??

I have an (American) colleague is uses ALL of these. And she is often out of pocket.

TantePiste · 16/06/2011 03:36

Drives me crazy. I am american and they ALL say it. Every time it is used i want to say, 'i do not think that means what you seem to think it means.'

spamm · 16/06/2011 03:37

I was in a pitch on Monday, as client, and one agency said that they would help us "Ideate".

Now I live in the US, where turning nouns into verbs is an art form, but that was new to me. Aggghhhhhh.

SlobbyBOB · 16/06/2011 03:57

I detest "going forward" and "back story"

I see no one has " picked the low hanging fruit"

peanutbutterkid · 16/06/2011 04:11

Fig me, I was going to ignore this thread but I do so detest "stakeholders". What like, so you can to stab Dracula with it, or something?

Am guilty of "like" verbal crimes, though, aren't I? (hangs 1980s Valley Girl head in shame)

HipHopOpotomus · 16/06/2011 05:11

I need to reach out on this one before I can revert to you! Grin

TheBride · 16/06/2011 05:30

"You should connect with John"

...........really? Why don't I just phone him. We are not, after all, stickle bricks

Original poster
StealthPolarBear · 16/06/2011 07:43

lol at sticklebricks

OP posts:
JudysJudgement · 16/06/2011 08:14

lets be perfectly clear

onlylivinggirl · 16/06/2011 08:20

we should socialise these issues

saffronwblue · 16/06/2011 08:33

I've just sense-checked this thread and will keep a watching brief.
Here in Australia we had a whole election where the policy was "moving forward." The Prime Minister said it about 4000 times each day.
Unfortunately after wining the election she is not really hitting her KPIs and might need to be rightsized.

saffronwblue · 16/06/2011 08:36

That would be winning.

DartsRus · 16/06/2011 09:32

"A new team will be stood up to spear-head the project."

Stood up???? How about "formed", at least we can all understand it then! And then you also get "stand down" for disbanding said team once project completed.

Have to say, I'm getting almost aggressive in wording letters and emails in (very) plain English these days! Unlike some others at work, I get very few queries asking what x or y means! Grin

CoffeeDodger · 16/06/2011 09:50

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Soups · 16/06/2011 09:51

There's a great deal of grabbing the low handing fruit on this thread.

BarryShitpeas · 16/06/2011 09:56

"Let's use the beansprout argument"

Original poster
StealthPolarBear · 16/06/2011 09:57

wtf is the beansprout argument?

OP posts:
crazyspaniel · 16/06/2011 10:09

"Cascade", used as a verb, is popular with the management where I work. As in "please cascade this information to staff in your department". A while ago there were so many of these ludicrous words and phrases flying around that someone devised a bingo board featuring managment-speak vocabulary for the rest of us to take into committee meetings.

NormanTebbit · 16/06/2011 10:23

Talking about 'going viral' makes me feel slightly queasy

porpoisefull · 16/06/2011 10:28

Impact used to be a noun but has become a verb "How will that impact (or 'impact on') this group of stakeholders?" Probably because no one could remember affect / effect.

MoChan · 16/06/2011 10:35

I hate the fashion for using impact as a verb. It's ALL WRONG.

Oh, just realised the PP has said this.

I agree, porpoisefull.

Original poster
StealthPolarBear · 16/06/2011 10:36

Let's agree, moving forward, to never utilise any of these again

Oh, thought o another, not so much management speak, just self important crap: "on my watch"

OP posts:
OTheHugeManatee · 16/06/2011 10:41

DP works in shipping and a while ago was talking about going to a shipyard to 'kick the tyres'. I found myself picturing an oil tanker with gigantic wheels Grin

My most hated is 'lessons have been learned'. Translation: someone junior, who advised against the stupid idea but was ignored, has been bollocked or possibly fired. Meanwhile the more senior people who insisted on going through with the stupid idea have awarded themselves a 'performance bonus' for 'streamlining operations and ensuring quality'.

SeymoreButts · 16/06/2011 10:48

There are so, so many I don't know where to start... but these two in particular make my teeth itch.

"low hanging fruit" (the easy win)

"wipes its feet" (breaks even)

"Touch base" is fucking annoying as well. DH actually said this to me the other day, although he was at work at the time so I can see how he got confused, but I am still considering filing for divorce.

Miggsie · 16/06/2011 11:07

I hate "it's in the company DNA". NO no no DNA only exisits in living organisisms and cannot be in a company. We have a culture and company norms but not DNA.

Gnashes teeth...

Oh, and creating synergies...I challenge anyone to describe what this actually means in practice and what it would actually produce (sorry, "the end product")