Lev Lazinskiy

Forbidden Words

This is an evolving list of forbidden words and phrases that are overused or substitute cliches for actual thought. (inspired by HBR Guide for Better Business Writing), the exception is when words are used in the right context. For example, when referring to network bandwidth.

• actionable
• agentic
• {A, B, C} player
• as per
• at the end of the day
• back of the envelope
• bandwidth
• bespoke
• bias for action
• boiling frog
• bring our A game
• capital “B” Bullshit
• client centered
• come to Jesus
• core competency
• CYA
• deliverable
• double click
• drill down
• ducks in a row
• embark
• empower
• foreword initiative
• for what its worth
• from a X perspective
• game changer
• going forward
• go getter
• go rogue
• hill to die on
• hit the ground running
• impact (as verb)
• incentivize
• in the trenches
• impactful
• it is what it is
• kick the can down the road
• kill two birds with one stone
• let’s do lunch
• let’s take this offline
• level the playing field
• leverage (as verb)
• liaise
• lowercase “b” bullshit
• low hanging fruit
• mission-critical
• monetize
• move the needle
• net-net
• nuance
• on the front lines
• on the same page
• operationalize
• optimize
• out of pocket (except expenses)
• paradigm shift
• parameters per
• pick your brain
• pursuant to
• push the envelope
• putting lipstick on a pig
• recontextualize
• repurpose
• revolutionize
• rightsized
• rocketship
• rockstar
• sacred cow
• scalable
• seamless
• seismic shift (except earthquakes)
• silver bullet
• smart sized
• solution (as a verb)
• solve (as a noun)
• stoked
• strategic alliance
• strategic dynamism
• streamline
• synergy
• takeaway
• thats a wrap
• think outside the box
• thread the needle
• throw it against the wall and see if it sticks
• throw under the bus
• transformative
• turnkey
• under the radar
• unleash
• unlock (except physical locks)
• wheelhouse (as in “not in my wheelhouse”)
• world-class
• X - driven - Y (i.e event driven bullshit)
• X - led - Y (i.e bullshit led sales)