The most cringeworthy phrases of 2021 have been ridiculed in a list of the worst jargon used in workplace emails – including a Covid-related quip nobody wants to read again.
The Buzzsaw, an online tool that automatically strips buzzwords out of press releases, speeches and blog posts, shamed this year’s worst offenders in its 11th annual ‘Jargon Awards’.
The list, which ranks the most infuriating clichés spouted by publicists and corporate professionals, are based on submissions of submissions from editors and news correspondents around the world.
In first place is ‘cohort’, a convoluted way of describing a group of people, followed by ‘close the loop’ in second and ‘hop on a call’ in third.
‘Trying times’, a reference to the pandemic overused since the world’s first lockdowns began in early 2020, comes in at number eight.
In first place is ‘cohort’, a convoluted way of describing a group of people (stock image)
Australian publicist Hamish Thompson has been compiling the list since 2010 after he noticed someone complaining about a sticker company that described itself as a ‘global leader in adhesive labelling solutions’.
‘The Buzzsaw was created to put an end to corporate waffle,’ Mr Thompson explained.
Emails or press releases can be pasted into the Buzzsaw, which checks the document against a database of thousands of buzzwords and clichés before it is regenerated with all matches struck out in red.
1. ‘Cohort’
Taking the title for the worst jargon of 2021 is ‘cohort’.
The term, used to describe a collection of people with a shared characteristic, is simply another way of saying ‘group’.
Judges said ‘cohort’ is the ‘latest expensive-sounding invention of the Human Resources department’, the prime source of the world’s most irritating buzzwords.
Their statement said: ‘A few years ago it was cadre, but too many people weren’t sure about how to pronounce it, so it had to go. I miss the good old days, when group, team and colleagues were good enough.’
2. ‘Close the loop’
In second place is ‘closing the loop’, jargon for finishing a task so that you never need to work on it again.
‘This sounds as momentous as the part in the movie when the hero manages to close the interstellar portal to Planet Bad Guys,’ judges said.
‘Sadly, it’s usually a plea to a journalist to have a conversation about a new solar-powered cutlery set.’
3. ‘Hop on a call’
in third position is ‘hop on a call’, a phrase beloved by publicists around the world which is just a round about way of asking someone to phone them.
Judges called it an ‘overdue addition’ to the list of most offensive buzzwords in the same category as ‘touch base’, ‘circle back’, ‘pivot’ and ‘reach out’.
in third position is ‘hop on a call’, a phrase beloved by publicists around the world which is just a round about way of asking someone to phone them (stock image)
4. ‘Hope your (sic) well’
In at four is ‘hope your (sic) well’, the standard introductory line of an email that is often misspelt.
Judges put the phrase in the ‘insincere greeting category’ alongside ‘best’ or ‘BR’ – the abbreviation for ‘best regards’.
‘If the correspondent (often a PR professional) is unable to get a basic sentence construction and spelling right, they’re doomed,’ their statement said.
5. ‘B2H’ (Business to Humans)
Taking fifth is ‘B2H’, the alpha-numeric acronym for ‘Business to Humans’, a consumer-centric approach to marketing that creates real, human connections with purpose.
It may be well-intentioned, but judges said it sounds like a ‘cynical skin of niceness’.
‘Self-congratulatory terms that are used to promote an organisation’s virtuousness are surefire Buzzsaw Award winners. No further explanation is required,’ they said in their statement.
6. ‘Mainstream media’
In sixth position is ‘mainstream media’, a term that has been bandied around on social media by conspiracy theorists since the pandemic broke out.
Judges slammed the phrase for enabling ‘a zillion conspiracy theories’ and undermining the authority of impartial news organisations, adding: ‘[It] should be blasted into space.’
Judges slammed the phrase ‘mainstream media’ for enabling ‘a zillion conspiracy theories’ and undermining the authority of impartial news organisations (stock image)
7. ‘Agile’
Taking the seventh spot on the list is ‘agile’, which in business is used to describe a a method of project management characterised by the division of tasks into short phases and frequent reassessment of plans.
‘Generally, these words are attached to a description of a new process invented by people who don’t get about very much,’ the judges statement said.
8. ‘Trying times’
Lumped into eight position alongside equally infuriating Covid terminology such as ‘now more than ever’, ‘new normal’, ‘nice to e-meet you’ and ‘we’re all in this together’ is ‘trying times’.
The judges declined to comment on the phrase aside from writing ‘AAAGH!’ to illustrate their frustration.
9. ‘We remain cautious’
In at nine is ‘we remain cautious’, which judges described as a go-to phrase for ‘highly-paid financial PR advisors and their clients’.
‘These are the most expensive and meaningless words in public relations and investor communications. Worse still, they are a statement of the utterly obvious in a world ravaged by a pandemic,’ their statement said.
10. ‘TLA’
Rounding out the top 10 is ‘TLA’, hailed as the ‘lodestone of buzzwords’.
Judges blasted the term, which stands for ‘three letter acronym’, as the ‘verbal equivalent of a door to nowhere’.