| A | B |
|---|
| above board | visible, honest |
| a 180 | an about face, a complete reversal |
| acid test | final decisive test, proof |
| administrivia | All the trivial activities and reports required by administrators |
| back-door | of questionable ethics, dishonest |
| bait and switch | An unethical sales technique where low priced goods are advertised but not available when customers come to the store. |
| bang for the buck | The most impact or results for your money. |
| basket case | A hopeless situation/person |
| batting average | Percentage of the time you are successful. |
| beef up | expand, make stronger |
| bells and whistles | features, details |
| boot camp | training facility or program |
| can of worms | a complex problem |
| Career Limiting Move (CLM) | An action which will affect your future. |
| catch 22 situation | An unresolvable contradition or logic trap. |
| cook the books (to) | falsify records |
| core business | basic activities |
| dead wood | People who are part of an organization but not longer contribute to the firm's output. |
| devil's advicate | Predice criticism of a project to improve the quality of the project |
| dirty laundry | Auestionable or scandalous past activities. |
| doctor/doctoring | alter |
| dog-and-pony show | simple, planned presentation |
| dynamic scoring | Political/economic forecasting technique that assumes budget reductions stimulate activity and further reduces budget deficits. |
| eager-beaver | very energetic |
| elephant hunt | Trying to find a major corporation to move into your community, stimulating economic development. |
| empowerment | allowing greater employee decision-making |
| face the music | take the consequences |
| fallen angels | stocks or bonds that were originally considered good investment but which are now considered risky |
| far out | weird, out-of-the-ordinary |
| fishing expedition | An enquiry into an issue withou a developed plan |
| force majeure | External contingencies that affect performance of a contract. |
| formica parachute | unemployment compensation |
| full court press | maximum pressure, all-out effort |
| fuzzword | business jargon |
| garage sale | sale of unwanted items at extremely low prices |
| _____ gate | a scandal |
| get a kick out of (to) | enjoy |
| give the not (to) | give approval to a plan; perceive as having an advantage |
| globasm | a company or executive who becomes obsessed with expanding globablly |
| gofer/go-for | low ranking employee; errand boy |
| grain of salt (with a) | less than certitude |
| grapevine | the informal office communication network, gossip |
| greasy spoon | a small, cheap restaurant |
| happy hour | the after work promotional speacials at a bar or restaurant. |
| hardball | aggressive competition |
| hatchet man | junior executive who is give the task of firing employees |
| hired guns | lawyers, accountant and other business strategy consultants |
| holy grail | sacred creed or value |
| hot potato | something that is controversial |
| hush money | bribe; payment to keep someone quiet |
| iceberg principle | the idea that in any situation only a smmall part of the problem will be initially visible |
| in the bag | certain |
| in the black | operating profitably |
| ironclad | solid, guaranteed |
| John Hancock | signature |
| jump ball | undecided |
| jump the gun (to) | start too soon |
| Junio Leaguers/Junior League | Afluent non-working women under 40 years old |
| jury rigged | temporarily fixed; not a permanet solution |
| keep up with the Jones (to) | strive, especially beyond one's income to socialize and spend like others in the same neighborhood |
| kicker | something added to a contract proposal to make it more attractive |
| killing | a large quick profit |
| knuckle down (to) | focus; hard work |
| kowtow | cater to |
| kudos | congratulations, approval |
| last straw | mistake or problem that causes a manager to take action |
| lead balloon | a dismal failure |
| lemon | a defective product |
| lightning rod | person who initiates change, particularly dramatic and potentially dangerous changes in a n organization |
| like an Edsel | a failure |
| lip service | officially agreeing with, even though you may have reservations about the issue |
| lock, stock and barrel | everything |
| Luddites | workers who feel their jobs are threatened by changing technology |
| Machiavellian | ruthless person |
| mark | person who is the ofject of a deceptive business practice |
| max out (to) | reach the limit |
| McCarthyism | Character assassination. |
| mommy track | damaging, dead-end career status often afforded people with family responsibilities |
| Mcjob | Low-paying powitions in service companies. |
| Mickey Mouse | unsophisticated |
| Nanny state | a description of excessive government involvement in social issues and problems |
| neck and nedk (to be) | in close competition |
| nest egg | funds set aside for a specific purpose, often for retirement |
| ninth inning | at the last moment |
| no brainer | an easy decision |
| odd-ball | loaner, person or thing left out of the group |
| off-the-books | cash or barter and without records as a means to avoid taxation |
| oil patch | the U.S. oil industry |
| on a back burner | in reserve; waiting to be developed |
| on board (to be) | hired |
| on the carpet (called) | in trouble |
| on the clock | working |
| on the table | up front, up for discussion |
| Ozzie and Harriet (like) | traditional two parent, two children household |
| pacesetter | person or product that sets the standards for other who follow |
| paradigm shift | a change in focus |
| parallel economy | informal, unregulated economy |
| partnering | searching for business opportunties |
| pick one's brain | solicit ideas from someone |
| pull punches | hold back |
| quality circles | management and worker groups which focus on improving the substance and value of their products |
| quick and dirty | cheap, easy but often second-rate solution to a problem |
| raspberry (the) | disapproval, usually associated with a flatulence sound |
| red flag | warning sign |
| rosy scenario/Rosie Scenario | very optimistic prediction |
| Rube Goldberg | A less-than-professional repair job. |
| rule-of-thumb | basis for measuring, deciding |
| sacred cows | something which cannot be questioned or eliminated |
| safety net | government social welfare programs designed to assist the poor |
| sandbag (to) | mislead; attack from behind; unethical practice of establishing a bonus plan that is easily achieved |
| scarlet letter | symbol of shame |
| scuttlebutt | rumor, gossip |
| send packing | dismiss, fire from a job |
| slam-dunk | something easily accomplished |
| spamming | mass marketing using email addresses |
| strategic alliance | currently important business partner |
| tab | the bill or check, especially for drinks at a bar |
| take no prisoners | managment exhortation to be highly competitive |
| that dog won't hunt | that idea will not work |
| throw it against the wall and see if it sticks (to) | try a new idea and see if it works |
| toe to toe (to go) | compete directly and abdre fiyktyggressively |
| Uncle Sam | USA government |
| under the table/counter | secret, illegal |
| up to par | meets standards |
| veg out | relax |
| vested/vesting | having worked for a company the minimum amount of time necessary to qualify for various benefits |
| vulture found | an investment fund that speculates in companies or real estate which have significantly declined in value |
| warm fazzies | verbal compliments |
| watchdog | person or group that scrutinizes the actions of business or government |
| watering hole | a bar |
| w-cubed | whateer, wherever, and whenever you want it |
| when pigs fly! | never |
| Willy Lomans | sales people |
| yankee bond | a bond issued by non-US entities trading in the US stock market |
| yes man | an employeee whose main function is to endorse a supervisor's decisions |
| you bet | an affirmation meaning surely or certainly |
| zilch | zero |
| zillion | exaggerate |
| zinger | a quick and sharp response or retort |
| zombie bonds | bonds that were thought to be valueless for which trading resumes |
