Office jargon can make a meeting sound like a code you were never given. The good news: most of it is a small set of phrases that mean something simple. Here are the ones you\u2019ll actually hear, what they mean in plain English, and whether you should use them yourself.<\/p>\n
| Jargon<\/th>\n | Plain English<\/th>\n | Example<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| circle back<\/td>\n | return to this later<\/td>\n | \u201cLet\u2019s circle back on pricing after the demo.\u201d<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| touch base<\/td>\n | have a short check-in<\/td>\n | \u201cLet\u2019s touch base Friday to see where the numbers land.\u201d<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| take it offline<\/td>\n | discuss it outside this meeting<\/td>\n | \u201cLet\u2019s take it offline with the two of you.\u201d<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| park it \/ put a pin in it<\/td>\n | pause this topic for now<\/td>\n | \u201cLet\u2019s put a pin in the hiring question.\u201d<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| close the loop<\/td>\n | give the final update<\/td>\n | \u201cI\u2019ll close the loop with the client once Legal approves.\u201d<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| EOD \/ EOW<\/td>\n | end of day \/ end of week<\/td>\n | \u201cCan you send it by EOD London time?\u201d<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| going forward<\/td>\n | from now on<\/td>\n | \u201cGoing forward, please send invoices to finance.\u201d<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\nCapacity and priorities<\/h2>\n\n bandwidth<\/p>\n noun \u00b7 B2<\/span><\/div>\n Your available time, energy or capacity to take on work.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t have the bandwidth for another project this month.\u201d<\/p>\n How to use it:<\/strong> Informal but widely understood. A polite way to say no that\u2019s about capacity, not willingness.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Table.<\/strong> In the US, \u201clet\u2019s table it\u201d means postpone. In the UK, it means put it on the agenda now. On mixed calls, say \u201cpostpone\u201d or \u201cdiscuss now\u201d.<\/p>\n Chase.<\/strong> In British offices, \u201cchase Legal for the contract\u201d is a neutral reminder. Some American readers hear it as pushier; \u201cfollow up with Legal\u201d works everywhere.<\/p>\n PTO.<\/strong> American for paid time off. In the UK you\u2019ll hear \u201cannual leave\u201d or \u201choliday\u201d.<\/p>\n Use jargon when it\u2019s shorter and clearer than the plain version and your audience uses it too. \u201cLet\u2019s take it offline\u201d is faster than \u201clet\u2019s discuss this separately after the meeting\u201d. Avoid it when:<\/p>\n |