Most occupations, hobbies and sports have a language all their own. This language, known as jargon, is a set of technical or specialized terms and phrases that typically only the members of what might be call the “in group” understand.

According to Huang Xiaozhao, professor of linguistics at the University of North Dakota, the use of jargon is a doubleedged sword. Jargon can be an effective and efficient way to communicate within a particular group; it serves the purpose of identifying those who share some expertise. However, it is often obscure and can be confusing to people outside of the particular profession or area of interest when they have to deal with jargon used by professionals. For example, carpenters talk to each other about bibles (tape measures) and problem solvers (hammers). To those not in the field, this sounds like gibberish.

Jargon can also be used as a tool to exclude outsiders from insiders. Linguists warn that insider language is often employed as a verbal secret handshake.

Business Watch took a look at the jargon used by some of our fellow North Dakotans. From college students to workers in the oil patch to plastic surgeons, the results were fascinating.

A to Z: Dictionary of Office Speak

The phrase “Think outside the box” was recently voted as the most despised example of business jargon. Love it or hate it, business jargon is an inescapable part of the job. The lingo stretches far and wide enough, a list representing every letter of the alphabet is easy to compile.
AL DESKO: A meal eaten at one’s desk because you are too busy to actually leave for lunch.

BOIL THE OCEAN: Attempting to do the impossible, or doing a task in an incredibly inefficient manner.

C-LEVEL: Anyone at the top of the organizational chart with a title such as CEO, COO or CFO.

DELEGATORSHIP: An organization that is led by someone who shoves all of his responsibilities off onto others.

EAT THE FROG: Do the most unpleasant task early in the day and get it off your plate.

FACE TIME: A rarity in today’s world of e-mail and video conferencing, face time is speaking face to face.

GOLDEN PARACHUTE: A large compensation package given to executives when they leave the company.

HEAVY LIFTING: The difficult and challenging work.

INTO THE WEEDS: Losing your audience by delving into so much technical detail that they don’t understand what you are talking about.

JOB-READY: Trained and ready to begin working today.

KEYBOARD PLAQUE: Gunk that collects on a computer keyboard.

LATERALED: Transferred to a new position at the same pay level.

McJOB: A menial job or task.

NO CALL/NO SHOW: An employee who doesn’t show up for work and doesn’t even call in with an excuse.

OPM: Other people’s money. As in, “We started this company with OPM.”

PEEL THE ONION: Cut through the irrelevant issues and get down to the heart of the matter, no matter how difficult. (Warning: Pealing the onion may cause tears.)

QUEEN BEE SYNDROME: Where women reach a senior position and are not willing to help other women climb the corporate ladder.

RETIRED IN PLACE (RIP): Still on the payroll, but not really working.

STRESS PUPPY: An anxious, whiny co-worker.

TREEWARE: Any document printed on paper.

UBER: Used to emphasize an adjective, such as, “I feel uberstressed about all the frogs I have to eat today.”

VIEWBICLE: A cubicle with a window.

WIN-WIN: Coming to a decision in which all parties involved win.

XEROX: Make a copy of.

YOUR MILEAGE MAY VARY: You may have different results. As in “I asked for a raise last week and got one, but your mileage may vary.”

ZOMBIE: A project at work that you thought was completed, but just keeps coming back to haunt you. Talk Like a Cop Every profession has its own language, but police jargon is in a class of its own and varies widely from region to region. Dickinson Police Chief Chuck Rummel provided a brief sampling of western North Dakota cop talk.

STOP AND ROB: A convenience store.

POND POLICE: Officers with the Game and Fish Department.

5-0: Police, especially plain clothes officers.

PLAIN BROWN WRAPPER: A patrol car with no markings.

From the Oil Patch

Those working in the oil patch find that it is a very insular world. Often locations are remote and shifts are long with little interaction from anyone other than immediate coworkers. Therefore, it is not surprising that this distinctive occupation has developed a language all its own. Below is some oil patch jargon shared with us by Russ Walker, regional manager for Wilson Supply, an oil field equipment supply company.

THE WORM: The new person on the rig, a rookie.

MOTOR MAN: Person that monitors the engines on the rig.

CHAIN HAND: Person that throws the chain around drill pipe.

TOOL PUSHER: Rig foreman that orders all material for rig operation.

ROUSTABOUT: Person that performs the manual duties on oil locations to install pipe, valves, and fittings.

DEAD MAN: A threaded anchor that is screwed into the ground to support the workover rig with cables.

TRIPPING: Pulling pipe out of the hole or putting pipe back in the hole.

JOINT: A piece of pipe that varies in length. DOPE: A lubricant that is used on threads of pipe.

SUCKER ROD: A steel rod that is used to attach to a rod pump to remove oil from the well.

PONY ROD: A short steel rod normally 2’ to 8’ in length for same purpose.

MAKING HOLE: When the rig is drilling a new well, the process is called making hole.

WALKING BEAM: A steel beam that is part of the pumping unit that normally is attached horizontally.

HORSE’S HEAD: The steel piece at the end of the walking beam that moves up and down when pumping unit is in operation.

STUFFING BOX: A piece of equipment that holds the polish rod in place and provides lubrication.

Campus Lingo In the hallowed halls of academia, students speak their own language. We asked a class of undergraduate business students at Dickinson State University to give us a few examples of the way college students talk.

We discovered that a great deal of their “slanguage” is used to describe technology. As in, “The Commodores (old or slow computers) in the computer lab are ridic (ridiculous).” This complaint would likely elicit a response such as “fo sho” (for sure).

In addition, they often use colorful terms to label their fellow students. An “emo” is an emotional student with dramatic negative emotions.

A “creeper” Is someone who keeps checking out your Facebook page or wanting to talk to you when you clearly don’t want to talk to them. As in, “Geez, that emo creeper is totally creepin’ me. He even wanted my digits (phone number).”

“Hey homeslice (friend, companion), let’s duck (skip) class and hit the cash cow (ATM machine) and do some chillaxing (relaxing and chilling out) with our Applebuddies (people who work at Applebees and stick together as a group even when other people are present).”

College professors are no exception to the rule and utilize their own unique jargon. For example, students who jump back and forth between two or more colleges or attend more than one college at the same time are “swirling.”

Students with poor memories are “goldfish” who typically seek out classes that are “cake” (easy courses with pushover professors).

Perfectionist students who insist on debating for every point are called “point grubbers.” As in, “Jane got a 99 percent on the final, but is still point grubbing for a perfect score.”

The Skinny on Plastic Surgeons

Spend some time with Advanced Surgical Art Center’s Dr. Darcy Honeycutt and you’ll soon realize that jargon abounds in this busy office.

Although Honeycutt assured us that the jargon used in her office includes only terms of endearment, she does admit that they have their work cut out for them when consulting with plastic surgery addicts. These are new patients who sit down for their first consultation and lead with, “Let me tell you what I haven’t had done.”

MOMMY MAKEOVERS: Multiple plastic surgery procedures, including breast lifts and liposuction, with the goal of restoring a woman’s prepregnancy body.

BREAST ENVY: “My girlfriend has 500 cc implants, I need 550.”

BOTOX BABES: Patients who never fail to miss their everythree- month Botox injections.

THE FULL IVANA: Patients wanting collagen for larger lips, their wrinkles eradicated with cosmetic filler and Botox injections a la Ivana Trump.

So, now that you’ve been given a helicopter view (a brief look) at business jargon, remember that good communicators know when jargon will clarify and when it might only serve to confuse. Know your audience and speak in terms that they will understand, or clear communication can suffer.

Story by DEBORA DRAGSETH