Circling back, moving the needle, throwing spaghetti at the wall to see if anything sticks… If you work in any type of office environment, odds are you’ve heard your fair share of corporate buzzwords. Love them or hate them, they’ve infiltrated our psyches and taken a stronghold on our cubicles—putting fluency up there on a list of core competencies behind self-starter and change agent.
Here at Waggle, we’re no stranger to renaming simple designs with something that carries more pomp and circumstance (there’s a reason thesaurus.com is a starred bookmark on our browsers). So, in the spirit of adding more fun to the everyday, we’re gifting you with 25 product-inspired WaggleWords you can use to spice up the workplace...
Take It Offline → Off The Grid
Used to suggest that a proposed topic should be addressed at a later time in a different setting
“I’m sorry you drafted Christian McCaffrey in the first round again, but let’s go off the grid with Fantasy Football talk and get back to the budgeting discussion.”
Break Down Silos → Lumberhack
A concerted effort to remove divisions between departments through improved communication and collaboration
“We’re not going to be successful until we do some serious lumberhacking between sales and marketing.”
Touchbase → What’s Kraken?
A brief check-in to address updates or concerns
“I’ve got a few questions on the email you sent over. Can we what’s kraken in five?”
Paradigm Shift → Fields to Fairways
A major change in a widely accepted process
“Shifting to fully remote was a real fields to fairways for our boomer employees.”
Pie in the Sky → Moon Shot
An optimistically lofty goal that is unlikely to be realized
“One-hundred billion dollars by January is a bit of a moon shot, don’t you think?”
Keep Our Options Open → Loosey Goosey
Delaying the decision making process to allow for the possibility of an alternative solution
“I thought the interview went fantastic, but I’d like to remain loosey goosey until we’ve had time to review the other candidates.”
Thought Leader → Cocky Rooster
A person proclaimed (or self-proclaimed) to be an authority in a designated field
“With thirty years of digital experience, she’s considered a cocky rooster in the industry.”
Out of Pocket → Gone Fishing
Unavailable or unreachable, typically as a result of being on vacation
“Normally we’d get Frank’s opinion, but he’s gone fishing all week.”
Close the Loop → Tap It In
Following up on a previous discussion to make sure everyone is clear on the plan
“Before we start working on anything, let’s get with the team to tap it in on those final questions from yesterday’s meeting.
In The Trenches → Golfin’ with Squatch
A situation involving difficult high-stress work
“The creative team has been golfin’ with Squatch all week to get that tube sock ad finished.”
Synergies → Pars & Cigars
Efficient and effective collaboration between groups or processes
“Merging these departments will be crucial in creating more pars & cigars across the organization.”
Drop the Ball → Fairway, Green, Three-Putt (FGTP)
Making a significant mistake during a critical time
“We had no choice but to fire him after he FGTP’d on the animatronic squirrel project.”
Fire Drill → Category Five
An urgent situation where everyone is expected to stop what they’re working on to resolve a problem or complete a task
“Her email about the rushed deadline set off a category five in the office today.”
Elephant In The Room → Duck, Duck, Gray Duck (DDGD)
An obvious issue no one wants to bring up
“We didn’t solve the problem because we weren’t willing to address the DDGD.”
Close the Deal → Putt for Dough
Finalize negotiations by coming to a collective agreement
“We’ve been going back and forth on this for weeks. We need to bring in an expert who knows how to putt for dough.”
Taskforce → The Hive
A committee strategically assembled to solve a particular workplace problem
“The hive has been meeting frequently to investigate who keeps leaving unwashed dishes in the sink.”
Smoke & Mirrors → Decoy
Presenting information in a way that distracts from or obscures underlying issues
“The presentation was flashy, but it was all just a decoy to cover up bigger financial problems.”
Rockstar → GOAT
An employee who demonstrates strong work ethic and dedication to the job
“Thanks for that stellar report, GOAT!”
Standup → Tee Party
A recurring meeting to check in on project status
“Put that on the agenda for this week’s tee party.”
North Star → Loon Lake
A company’s most important metric or goal, used to guide prioritization or understanding of the overall business
“Our loon lake used to be new customer acquisition across all demographics, but recently our focus has narrowed to specifically Gen Z. No cap.”
Bleeding Edge → First Cut
At the forefront of technology
“A rain jacket that literally packs itself? That’s first cut.”
Reinvent The Wheel → Twisted Tartan
Waste time creating something new when a suitable solution already exists
“We don’t need a Twisted Typhoon here—the process in place already works great.”
Lean In → Attack Mode
Accepting challenges and taking risks
“If you want the promotion, you’re really going to have to go attack mode this next quarter.”
Town Hall → Holding Court
An all-employee meeting where leadership shares business updates
“Do you think they’ll bring in lunch after they’re done holding court?”
Put Eyes On It → Bird Dog
Review another’s work prior to finalization
“Will you bird dog this blog before I post it?”
And there you have it! Go forth and make the workplace a funner place, one Waggleword at a time.