Forbidden Words

May 30, 2024 | notes | writing |

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)

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