Sometimes there is no better way to get your point across at the office, than to make your vocabulary short, strong, to the point, and as visually dramatic as possible.
These are the 30 classic idioms that will tell your co-workers to get their sh*t together, without actually saying, “Get your sh*t together.”
- “Marching orders”– This is when you’re in a meeting and it has come time to drop the politically correct stuff and tell everybody what they need to do to keep their jobs.
- “Pounding the sand”– This is real similar to pounding the pavement, except someone is either not getting anywhere or not trying hard enough.
- “Your ship has sailed”– Nobody ever wants to be told that their ship has sailed, especially when they are obviously not on it.
- “Thrown under the bus”– This is an ‘end-of-the-line’ business term. Nobody wants to be in the same room when this idiom is thrown out onto the table, because it is just never a good thing.
- “Pull the chute”– This is when you know that a co-worker is about to be thrown “under the bus,” and you’re thinking creatively to help soften the blow.
- “Shoehorn trouble”– This is when you have everything you need to get an idea off its feet, but your co-workers just can’t quite get it going.
- “Electric third rail”– This idiom references something that a co-worker will want to stay clear of.
- “900lb gorilla”– This should be used in the most extreme cases of bad. Most co-workers would rather take their chances with a third rail than a 900lb gorilla.
- “We need to do some blocking and tackling”– This term is most often used when a co-worker has released some bad information to clients and now the rest of the team is suffering for it.
- “Grab the low hanging fruit”– This refers to grabbing the easy clients or the simplest solution to the problem in order to save time and money.
- “State of the state”– This term refers to wanting to know where the business stands within itself.
- “Kick it up a notch”– This tells everybody to quit working at their normal lazy pace and actually get something done.
- “Get them on the hook”– This is referring to getting a client under your wing, hooking them in the mouth, and then dragging them through the usual bullcrap.
- “This contract has a floor but no ceiling”– This reference tells a co-worker that they have a good contract in the making, but they are just not sealing it tight enough to keep problems from arising.
- “Tribal knowledge”– This references your co-workers to keep their traps shut about what is about to be said–even to the other workers within the same company.
- “Feet on the street”– This tells your co-workers to get out and round up some clients wherever they can find them.
- “Canted nose”– This reference usually means that a co-worker is missing the point.
- “Shwagged”– This is a slightly more politically accepted term for saying, “You’re screwed.”
- “Wrapped around the axle”– This saying goes along with the phrase about being thrown under a bus, except it usually provides very little hope of recovery.
- “Open up the kimono a little”– This idiom refers to giving a client a little incentive.
- “Get behind the 8 ball”– “You need to get behind the 8 ball on this one.” This is encouragement to a co-worker, reminding them that they need to put together a strategic business plan, otherwise they will fail as usual.
- “Gophering”– This refers to doing whatever is necessary to keep a client happy–no matter how embarrassing or degrading.
- “Run it up the flag pole”– “Why don’t you go out with your client and run it up the flag pole.” This idiom references getting down to business, making sure everybody is on the same page with what is about to go down.
- “Bump it around”– This refers to an open idea session where everybody is invited to put their two cents into the fish bowl, no matter how stupid their idea is.
- “Get on their dance card”– The careful balance between success and failure involves teaching your co-workers how to dance seductively with clients.
- “Make hay while the sun shines”– There is no better time to screw over a co-worker, than when the sun is shining and everything appears to be running smoothly.
- “100% butts in seats”– This is crunch time. This let’s your co-workers know that this is a particularly important day, and that they need to have their butt at their desk and working.
- “Swinging for the fences”– This is a phrase that lets your co-workers know that at least you’re giving a project your all.
- “Going back to the salt mines”– This is kind of like going back to the drawing board, except is sucks three times worse.
- “Perfume the Pig”– This is when an office project has gone so terribly wrong that it stinks to high heaven, and the only thing left to do is cover it up big time.
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