Discover Some Common Business Euphemisms

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In English, we use euphemisms when we want to say something without saying it bluntly or in some cases, rudely. In other words, euphemisms are used to soften what we say or in order not to cause offence.

If language is a reflection of culture, in this case it reflects the desire of many people across the English speaking world to be as polite as possible. So, in many cases, euphemisms are used to describe unpleasant situations in a more polite manner. In other instances, they can be used to describe situations in a funny or humorous way; but that’s for another article!

As a side note, it should be pointed out that some of the euphemisms mentioned below are annoying to us and others. So, this list is for information purposes and understanding the meanings of what you hear in everyday business jargon, rather than a suggestion to use any of them.

So, let’s take a look at some common examples in business.

Being let go.

We could say that someone was sacked or fired but that can sound really horrible. So, instead of saying directly that they got the sack, we might simply say that they were let go. Or that they have ben relieved of their duties.

Between jobs.

Sometimes, due to the economy and other factors, many of us have found ourselves unemployed for short periods of time. Naturally, one might want to find a slightly different way of putting it and so it could be termed as being ‘between jobs’.

Euphemisms like this not only sound more polite but they can also help us mentally to reframe challenging situations we may go through.

Above my pay grade.

You may be requested to complete a task that you believe should be done by someone with more responsibility than your role allows for. A polite comment might be, ‘I’d love to help, but that is definitely above my pay grade’.

Herding cats.

The writer of this article heard this used by a former CEO some years back, when he described that getting his executives to all agree to a new policy was like herding cats.

In essence, this phrase is usually used negatively to describe working with a team that is difficult.

Put out a fire.

This usually happens at the worst time, such as during a holiday or just after you left work for the day and you get called into the office to put out a fire. Not literally, though! It means to sort out a problem that has arisen suddenly and needs to be sorted out right now.

Throw someone under the bus.

We sincerely hope you never experience this. But chances are, corporate environments being what they are, that everyone will undoubtedly go through it at some point.

When someone throws us under the bus, they have put the blame on us for something in order to get out of trouble themselves. Or to ensure they are not the only ones in hot water.

Trim the fat.

We use this euphemism when discussing the need to cut costs, specifically unnecessary expenditure. For instance, the CFO might make a statement like this one to the board, ‘we need to drastically trim the fat and so all travel budgets will be frozen for the next three months’.

Final thoughts

To sum up, we feel that it is better to say openly what you want to. This is the hallmark of good communication. It will also mean less misunderstandings. For now, though, the English workplace is filled with many euphemisms, idioms and business jargon that we need to understand.

Discussion

Have you heard any of these used in business meetings or conversation before?

Are there any similar euphemisms and / or idioms in your native langauge? What are they?

Do you feel that business meetings are beneficial, why or why not?

If you could improve one thing in your business or company, what would it be?