Examples of Jargon Words

These examples of jargon words, which are short
phrases commonly used by different groups, can be
quite educational. But be careful to use them wisely!

Some commonly used examples of jargon words can greatly impact our thinking and actions, and that of those around us in our circle of influence. That is why this page is included on BusinessTune-Ups executive coaching website - because jargon is one of many things that can help people make great changes happen.

Links to Other Jargon Word Examples and Cliches Pages
Examples of Jargon
Business Jargon
Police Jargon
Understanding Computer Jargon
Business Cliches
Popular Cliches
Misleading Cliches

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Examples of Jargon Words - sometimes used in Business

Below are some example of jargon words used in different businesses, sometimes by people within the industry alone, and other times, by the general public.

"Ahead in the count" If someone refers to your business as one that is "ahead in the count", you're doing very well. This is an example of baseball jargon that refers to when the pitcher - ahead in the count - has more strikes than balls against a batter. In the business world, to be ahead of the count means you have pulled out in front of your competitors and are doing well in your market. In order to stay ahead in the count, you may to continue doing what you're doing, but also re-evaluating ways to stay ahead of your competition.

"Plug and Play" - It literally means when you buy an electronic device, all you need to do is plug it in the electrical receptacle, turn it on, and it will work properly. In business, this term does not need to refer to an electrical device, but virtually anything that should work properly with not much thinking involved.

"Cookies" Some examples of jargon just don't always mean what you may think! This is one example. The term "cookies" is computer jargon. It refers to data placed on your computer from a web server that records the websites you visit, your passwords (if you so choose), your shopping cart preferences, and a record of your website preferences. How are cookies helpful to you? If you use the Internet regularly, cookies allow the websites to "know" you when you return. Pages can load faster, passwords can be remembered so you don't have to key them in each time, etc. Although cookies are not absolutely necessary, they are very helpful when it comes to operating efficiently on the Internet.

"Get Your Ducks in a Row" Although this term came from short, rounded bowling pins years ago (called ducks), most people associate this example of jargon with a mother duck and her ducklings. If you've observed them walking or swimming, they are all in a row! Examples of jargon words are commonly drawn from every day life. To get your ducks in a row means you're organized and carefully planned out the details of a project before starting. For example, let's say you've been chosen to pitch your company's new product to a prospect. In order to get your ducks in a row, you'll likely research the prospect's history, their target market, and how your product can reach their target market. When the presentation day arrives, you'll have everything ready to go and increase your chances that you know just what to say.

"Connect Ear-to-Ear" Sometimes examples of jargon do mean what they say and this is one of those times. If you say to someone, "let's connect ear-to-ear on the details of this project", you are using a hip or cool bit of jargon to say, "let's discuss this project in more detail over the telephone".

"Swot Analysis" Some of the most popular examples of jargon words use acronyms (initials) to shorten what would otherwise be a very lengthy term. A SWOT analysis is a business term often used by business consultants. SWOT stands for:
•  Strengths - the positive attributes of a company that helps it compete in its marketplace
•  Weaknesses - internal challenges a business faces that makes it harder to compete and be profitable
•  Opportunities - external conditions (such as market forces) that can't be controlled by a business that make it easier to succeed
•  Threats - the opposite of opportunities - threats are external forces that make businesses in a market hard (or potentially hard) to be profitable.

A SWOT analysis is a helpful tool to assist a business in "seeing reality" clearly. By better understanding its current position in a market, it can better determine what areas (its products, services, internal functions, etc.) to improve on, expand on and, in some cases, abandon.

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Examples of Jargon Words - Some Used in Sports

Here are some more examples of jargon word from various industries:

NEWSPAPER JARGON Some examples of jargon - newspaper jargon words are "beat", "breakline", "budget","byline", "chaser", "circulation", "cut", "dateline", "ears", "flag", "lead", "stringer", "strip", "teaser", and "zone".

FOOTBALL JARGON Examples of football jargon are "audible", "blitz", "clipping", "down", "end zone", "goal line", "hand-off", "kickoff", "loose ball", "man-in-motion", "offside", "picked off", "recovery", "scrambling", "territory", and "touchdown".

BASEBALL JARGON Examples of common baseball jargon words include: "advance a runner", "ahead in the count", "alley (or gap)", "appeal", "assist", "at bat", " "bad-ball hitter", "balk", "bases loaded", "bat", "big league", "bunt", "bush league", "caught looking", "changeup", "cheap run", "choke up", "cleanup hitter", "clutch hitter", "curve ball", "cut-off man", "dig it out", "double play", "extra bases", "fastball", "first ball hitter", "go-ahead run", "golfing", "good eye", "grand slam", "Hall of Fame", "hit by pitch", "home run", "insurance run", "loud out","make the pitcher work", "mit (baseball glove)", "MVP", "pickoff", "pinch hitter", "position", "power hitter", "rally", "relay", "sacrifice bunt", "sacrifice fly", "sent to the showers", "stayed alive", "stolen base", "strike zone", "take a pitch", "tea party", and "tipping pitches".

BUSINESS JARGON Examples of business jargon words include: "10,000 foot view", "actionable", "axe", "back burner", "bait and switch", "ballpark", "bang for the buck", "batting average", "behind the eight ball", "best practice", "bean counter", "bearish", "brain dump", "bullish", "buzz", "change agent", "circular file", "core competency", "down and dirty", "downsize", "due diligence", "get your ducks in a row", "gofer", "golden handcuffs", "face time", "fall guy", "food chain", "free lunch", "game changer", "headcount", "hired guns", "in bed", "in the black", "in the loop", "in the red", "level the playing field", "leverage", "lost in the sauce", "low-ball", "low-hanging fruit", "micromanage", "mom and pop organization", "not invented here", "org chart", "out of pocket", "out of the loop", "ping", "pushback", "put to bed", "rubber check", "Rube Goldberg device", "shotgun approach", "silver bullet", "skillset", "stakeholders", "sweat equity", "take away", "talk turkey", "timeframe", "traction", "value-added", "zero sum game".

UNDERSTANDING COMPUTER JARGON There is a lot to learn in understanding computer jargon. Here's more examples of jargon: "browser", "bus", "cache", "chip", "cookie", "CPU", "crash", "database", "dot pitch", "download", "driver", "file", "firewall", "folder", fragmentation", "freeware", "gopher", "hardware", "interface", "keyboard shortcuts", "mouse", "network", "operating system", "plug and play", "resolution", "software", "spam", "upload", "URL", and "virus".

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Lessons learned from Jargon Words

Jargon can be a powerful tool for creating images in the minds of your associates or customers. Get to know some jargon terms and learn to use them properly, in the right context and at the right time in the conversation or presentation. That's why you may want to watch this presentation on improving your business, career, and personal life.

How many of these examples of jargon did already know? We'd love to hear others that you've heard in the workplace or have used yourself to communicate a specific concept or message.

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I hope you learned something from this page full of examples of jargon words. Jargon is but one "communications tool". In business, as well as in life in general, how we communicate makes a HUGE difference! For many other, even more important ways, to make positive changes, click on the link below.

And read the bottom section of this page.

Humorous, Funny Jargon Jokes
by the late, great George Carlin