Chas. Dowd & Barb Hovater, corporate lexicographers
Illustrations by Brian Beausoleil
"One of the goals of the Center's business competence curriculum is to provide managers with a "common business vocabulary." That's a worthy goal: you can't discuss something until you have a shared set of terms. But in any business, there is an above-the-line vocabulary and a below-the-line vocabulary. The first is a language defined by dictionaries and the second is created by usage. The first language is formal and precise; it changes slowly. The second language is sloppy, vital, idiomatic, and as fluid as Skydrol."
"Here is our dictionary of this below-the-line language, a collection of idioms common in Boeing. Some are new, some have been part of the company since the Red Barn. We present it so newcomers and old-timers alike won't run the risk of falling behind the power curve and ending up dead in the water."
|
ad rectum \ad-'rek-t&m\ adj adv : intuitive; intuitively. <We need less ad rectum conclusions and more analysis.> <Conclusions were being made ad rectum.> affinitize \&-'fi-n&-"tIz\ v : to categorize by affinities. Affinities are more vague than categories or "buckets" and are used for abstract concepts rather than data. See bucketize. <These suggestions from the survey are a real dog's dinner. Can somebody at least affinitize them?>
alphabet soup \'al-f&-bet süp\ n : an excessive number of acronyms. apply a little stick and rudder to the worker bees \&-plI & lit-&l stik &nd r&d-&r tü th& w&rk-&r bEz\ v : to give further management direction. <Now that I have prayed with our masters, I'm going to have to apply a little stick and rudder to the worker bees.> bag of feathers \bag &v fe-[th_]&rz\ n : a collection of data that cannot be formulated into a concrete statement of a problem. <You've tried to generate a complete quality concept out of a bag of feathers.> balls to the wall \bolz tu [th_]& wol\ adv [from the throttles of pre-World War II multiengined aircraft that had spherical handles -- or balls -- pushed toward the instrument panel for top speed.] : full, all-out effort. <We're going to go balls to the wall on the Sperry proposal.> banjo music \'ban "jO 'myü-zik\ n : mathematical equations or other difficult typing. <I didn't type the banjo music. You can fill that in by hand.> bare one's back at the whipping post \bar w&nz bak at [th_]& 'wip-i[ng] pOst\ v : to present a documented plan or analysis, or some tangible item, for expected criticism. <Releasing this report, I'm really baring my back at the whipping post.> behind the power curve \bi-'hInd [th_]& 'pau(-&)r k&rv\ adv [from aviation; not developing enough engine power to maintain rate of climb without stalling. Other meanings depending on engineering specialty.] : behind schedule; unable to meet goals because of insufficient resources. <We're falling behind the power curve because we can't get enough people to work on the project.>
big pole in the tent \big pOl in [th_]& tent\ n : major considerations. <Quality is the big pole in the tent.> boo-boo factory \bü-bü 'fac-t&-rE\ n : home office, where the mistakes are made. bring out a wetter towel \bri[ng] aut & 'wet-&r 'tau-&l\ v : to introduce a more severe crisis into an already crisis-ridden situation. <I don't want to bring out a wetter towel, but what about our test requirements document?> bucketize \"b&-k&t-'Iz\ v : to put into categories. build the goalposts around it \bild [th_]& 'gOl-"pOsts &-'raund it\ v : to base standards on what is already achievable. <If we can't meet the cost target, let's build the goalposts around a bigger request.> build the road before you paint the line \bild [th_]& rOd bi-fOr yü pAnt [th_]& lIn\ v : to get things in their proper sequence. cerebral popcorn \s&-'rE-br&l 'päp-"korn\ n : a quick, unconsidered answer; a possible initial idea for more detailed study. Akin to "off the top of the head." <I need some cerebral popcorn. Let's just brainstorm for a minute.> chicken keeps coming back \'chi-k&n kEps 'k&-mi[ng] bak\ n : problem recurs. <I've told my manager about this problem, but this chicken keeps coming back.> close their eyes a littler tighter \klOz [th_]er Iz & li-t&l tIt-&r\ v : to amplify avoidance of a critical problem. <If we romance this a little more, maybe we can get them to close their eyes a little tighter.> color it in \'k&-l&r it in\ v : to include the necessary details. <He had a great concept but he didn't color it in.> coming unglued \'k&-mi[ng] &n-glüd\ v 1: exhibiting a violent reaction upon hearing proposed redirection. < Williams really came unglued when they told him he had to transfer resources.> 2: not working out; failing. <The Door group's cost figures are coming unglued.> condition the water for swimming \k&n-'di-sh&n [th_]& 'wot-&r for swim-i[ng]\ v : get the participants properly trained. <The Safety Maps sessions will condition the water for swimming.> cradle to grave \krA-d&l tü grAv\ adv : from beginning to end. Associated phrases are lust to dust, erection to resurrection, sperm to worm, womb to tomb, and didies to Depends. crap in the gap \krap in [th_]& gap\ n : misinterpretation. <There's a lot of crap in the gap about our reorganization plan.> crisis \'krI-s&s\ n : the time interval between two panics. cut off the dead leaves first \kut of [th_]& ded lEvz f&rst\ v 1: get rid of any evidence of failed alternatives. 2: get rid of surplus personnel.
dead in the water \ded in [th_]& 'wot-&r\ adj [from maritime use; becalmed or otherwise without motive power.] : unable to proceed; stopped. <Until we get the top rafter bats in a prayer meeting, we're dead in the water.> different tree, same monkeys \'di-f&rnt trE sAm 'm&[ng]-kEz\ n : new group formed of current personnel. dirty linen \'d&r-tE 'li-n&n\ n : unresolved technical and/or management problems. do our thinking in real time \dü är 'thi[ng]k-i[ng] in rEl tIm\ v : to not plan ahead. <It's getting late. Let's knock off this meeting and do our thinking in real time.> dodo bird \dO-dO b&rd\ n : negative item to consider. <Use of these derated components is another dodo bird.> dog's dinner \dogz 'di-n&r\ n [from the days when people fed their pets table scraps or from the Biblical warning of a sinner returning to the sin "like a dog to its vomit."] : a confused collection of data, concepts, articles, or virtually anything else with no readily apparent organizing principle. <We have more information than we can handle -- a real dog's dinner.> doing organization \'dü-i[ng] "or-g&-n&-'zA-sh&n\ n : a rapidly vanishing cohesive group of qualified and capable engineers working a well-defined problem. draw fat sparks \dro fat spärks\ v : to cause a violent reaction. <That proposed schedule will draw fat sparks from the customer.> drive-by fix \drIv-bI fiks\ n : a hasty solution, usually anonymous, to a pressing problem. <I hear that the Door group's drive-by fix is coming unglued.> drive the wagon slowly by \drIv [th_]& 'wa-g&n 'slO-lE bI\ v : make a carefully thought-out decision. <Let's drive the wagon slowly by the schedule figures.> drop the stewed tomatoes on the floor \dräp [th_]& styüd t&-'mA-(")tOz än [th_]& flOr\ v : accidentally introduce a new problem for consideration. See you've opened the door. <When Williams began talking about the scheduling system, she sure dropped the stewed tomatoes on the floor.>
eating yesterday's sandwiches \'E-ti[ng] 'yes-t&r-"dAz 'san(d)-"wich-&z\ v : using obsolete techniques or information. <If they're still using voice for status reporting, they're eating yesterday's sandwiches, and eating them fast.> enthusiasmectomy \in-'thü-zE-"a-z&m-ek-t&-mE\ n : any action that lowers team morale. <The new restrictions really did an enthusiasmectomy on the Door group.> FBI \ef bE I\ n : friends, brothers, and in-laws; nepotism. Formerly the quickest route to Boeing employment. Supplanted in the new culture by a meritocracy. <Yeah, Fletcher's a loser, but he's a member of the FBI so we're glad to have him.> fire drill \fIr dril\ n : a traditional exercise done for its own sake. <Hansen is handling the usual fire drill with Cost and Schedules.> float to the top of the punch bowl \flOt tü [th_]& täp &v [th_]& p&nch-bOl\ v 1: come up for consideration. Closely related to "float to the top of the [septic] tank." 2: suddenly appear, usually referring to a technical flaw, a political difficulty, or a difficult personality. <Things were going fine until Finance's objections floated to the top of the punch bowl.> fry that fish \frI [th_]at fish\ v : work on the problem. full stink \ful sti[ng]k\ adj : requiring an all-out effort. <Never forget that this is a full stink program.> get in bed with \get in bed with\ v [from the Early American Continental Congress, when congressmen bunked in the same room and were sometimes required to share opposite ends of the same bed with congressmen of vastly different political opinions.] : become familiar with, work closely with. <We've got to get in bed with Sperry so we can make sure our specs will be part of their final package.> get to the post office \get tü [th_]& pOst 'ä-f&s\ v : accomplish the job. <Here's our plan for getting to the post office.> get us to Mecca \get &s tü mek&\ v : see "get to the post office." go down the glory hole \gO daun [th_]& 'glOr-E hOl\ v : fail permanently and disappear; to be relegated to obscurity. Akin to "go down the tube." <The hydrofoil program was doomed to go down the glory hole.> go for a Burton \gO for & 'b&r-t&n\ v [from UK. Burton-On-Trent, the site of a famous English brewery and, by extension, the ale brewed there. This word crept into the Boeing lexicon in the mid-sixties when the company hired many British engineers during the UK's "brain drain."] : temporarily out of commission. <My network connection has gone for a Burton.>
had their oar in the pot \had [th_]er Or in [th_]& pät\ v : took an active, participating interest. heavy breathers \'he-vE 'brE[th_]-&rz\ n : senior management or experts. honcho \'hän-"chO\ v : to head up, to lead. <Patrick will honcho this presentation.> honked up \'ho[ng]kd &p\ adj : very, very confused. <We may be honked up, but we're on schedule.> hot balls \hät bolz\ n : separate entities, either organizational or technical. <Just take a look at all the hot balls involved in that tracking problem.> hot to trot \hät tü trät\ adj : eager to implement. jazz \jaz\ n : catch-all term for anything except music. Use of the term usually indicates that the topic has gone beyond the speaker's understanding. <The customer wants to know our position on reliability and all that jazz.> jinn also gin \jin\ v [gin was early slang for engine and, by extension, for the verb to engineer.] : to conceive. <We've got to jinn up a mobility concept in two weeks.> jugged up \j&gd &p\ adj : working to capacity. <I can't take on that extra job -- my group is all jugged up right now.> lay the golden egg \lA [th_]& 'gOl-d&n eg\ v : make a management decision. <The technical concept for this proposal sounds okay. Now let's take it to Headquarters Division and let them lay the golden egg.> license that dog \'lI-s&n(t)s [th_]at dog\ v : settle the problem. <Okay, let's license that dog and move on.> lie crosswise to the stream \lI kros-wIz tu [th_]& strEm\ v : to obstruct. <Hope that Finance doesn't lie crosswise to the stream on this.> lift and separate \lift &nd 'se p&-"rAt\ v : to add fluff, padding, and whistles and bells to an otherwise lackluster concept. lost in the noise \lost in [th_]& noiz\ adj : unworthy of further consideration; a minor problem. <Prototype test program costs will be lost in the noise on this proposal.> low-hanging fruit \lO 'ha[ng]-i[ng] früt\ n : out of a whole collection of related items, the easiest ones to take advantage of. <Before we start heading for the top of the tree, lets be sure to pick the low-hanging fruit first.> make it a feature \mAk it & 'fE-ch&r\ v : to present an intractable problem as a benefit. Common in computer code. <If a bug persists long enough, we'll make it a feature.> match impedance \mach im-'pE-d&n(t)s\ v : effectively coordinate with or glean information from. <You match impedances with Charley better than I do, so you'd better talk to him.> milk a mouse \milk & maus\ v : get more conclusions than are warranted by the available data. <We're milking a mouse with those cost figures.> NIH factor \en I Ach 'fak-t&r\ n : not invented here factor; automatic rejection of all externally produced ideas. OK word \O-'kA w&rd\ n : fashionable word, used to gain brownie points for the user but undefined and generally not mutually understood by the user and the recipient. <We need at least a page on "management visibility" since it's an OK word at Defense.> Pearl Harbor file \ p&rl 'här-b&r fI(&)l\ n : useless investigation to place blame for a glitch. <Is there going to be a Pearl Harbor file because we didn't win that contract?> prayer meeting \ prer 'mE-ti[ng]\ n : any meeting with upper management, esp. Series 90 executives. Related phrase "prayed with our masters" means to have attended a prayer meeting. <These cost figures can't be bucketized until I've been to the group prayer meeting.>
pull up a stump \p&l &p & st&mp\ v : join the discussion.
put on the table and get the flavor of \put on [th_]& tA-b&l &nd get [th_]& 'flA-v&r &v\ v : to introduce and discuss a subject. <OK, I've called this meeting so we can put our reliability program on the table and get the flavor of it.> put your head on the chopping block \put y&r hed on [th_]& chäp-i[ng] bläk\ v : accept responsibility to bare one's back at the whipping post. See bare one's back at the whipping post. retune our violin \rE-tün är "vI-&-'lin\ v : repeat the effort but with a different emphasis. <We'll have to retune our violin on the pitch to Hewlett-Packard.> romance \'rO-man(t)s\ v : embellish uselessly. <Let's not romance the maintenance concept.> same words, different tune \sAm w&rdz 'di-f&rnt tün\ n : a familiar idea, back in a different guise and passing itself off as something new. Related to different tree, same monkeys. saucered and blowed \'so-s&rd &nd blOd\ adj [from the British who prepared their tea for drinking by pouring it into a saucer and blowing on it until it cooled.] : completed to the point of being ready for final review. <The document will be saucered and blowed by next Wednesday.> see the color of its blood \sE [th_]& 'k&-l&r &v itz bl&d\ v : obtain the factual data. <On this laser application, we've got to contact the customer and see the color of its blood.> shake the grates \shAk [th_]& grAtz\ v : reorganize. <That new section leader really shook the grates, huh?> since the Red Barn \sin(t)s [th_]& red bärn\ adv [from the first Boeing factory building.] : longstanding; hallowed by company tradition and not to be changed lightly. <We've been doing it that way since the Red Barn.> show all the rivets \shO ol [th_]& 'ri-v&tz\ v : present all the details. slide to the right \slId tü [th_]& rIt\ v [from the practice of moving a Gantt chart milestone further along on the left-to-right timeline.] : A scheduled delay. Sometimes used as a threat to keep clients from changing agreements. <If you're going to ask for another design review, we're gonna hafta slide to the right.> smell \smel\ v : evaluate. <We'll just have to smell the situation as it develops.> snakes in the weeds \snAks in [th_]& wEdz\ n : items that have slipped through the cracks. soft shoe routine \soft shü rü-'tEn\ n : a vague answer to a specific question. <They're giving me a soft shoe routine on personnel training requirements.> speak to me in binary \spEk tü mE in 'bI-"ner-E\ v : give me a "yes" or "no" answer. spring-loaded \spri[ng]-'lOd-&d\ adj : pre-conceived, prejudiced. <Don't discuss logistics; he's spring-loaded on that.> sprinkle holy water \'spri[ng]-k&l 'hO-lE 'wo-t&r\ v : to approve officially, but without acceptance of responsibility for the consequences. <I'll sprinkle holy water on this configuration, but I don't want it in the minutes.> steer the log \stir [th_]& log\ v : see honcho. swear in church \swer in ch&rch\ v : to say or write something that is contrary to established prejudices or politics. taffy pull \'ta-fE pul\ n : initial individual efforts by several managers on a new program to acquire the bulk of the resources and budget. take smart pills \tAk smärt pilz\ v : think harder. <We'll just have to take smart pills twice a day in order to meet that operational date.> top rafter bats \täp raf-t&r batz\ n : upper management. twenty-sixteen \'twen-tE 'sik-"stEn\ n [usu 2016.] : the 100th anniversary goals. <That's fine functionally. Now we have to add some 2016 to it.> use a club to kill a mosquito \yüz & kl&b tü kil & m&-'skE-"tO\ v : develop a complex solution to a simple problem. viewfoil burnout \'vyü-foi&l 'b&r-"naut\ n : exhaustion from too many meetings. warm body \worm 'bä-dE\ n : another person added to the team who doesn't necessarily have any particular skills or any defined function. <To keep the bean counters quiet, let's add a warm body from Finance to the squad.> waving the flag and kissing your mother \wAv-i[ng] [th_]& flag &nd kis-i[ng] y&r 'm&-[th_]&r\ v : supporting a view or cause that is self-evidently correct. Standing firm for truth, justice, and the American way. words and music \w&rdz &nd 'myü-zik\ n : concept and subsequent "selling" effort. <You supply the words and I'll supply the music at the next Produce meeting.> woodbox to put his nose in \'wüd-bäks tü put hiz nOz in\ n : possible problem area to be worked. <Because he's working on my old program, I tried to give him some woodboxes to put his nose in.> wrapped around the axle \rapd &-'raund [th_]& 'ak-s&l\ v : stymied by confusion. <We've gotten wrapped around the axle coordinating this hummer.> you've opened the door, now let me sell you a brush \yüv 'O-p&nd [th_]& dOr nau let mE sel yü & br&sh\ : an offer to expand on a side issue just raised. <I didn't think you needed that information, but since you've opened the door, let me sell you a brush.> |
all teeth and eyeballs \ol 'tEth &nd 'I-bolz\ n : a pleasant and avaricious smile. <Here come our subcontractors, all teeth and eyeballs.>
big hydrant for the tall dogs \big 'hI-dr&nt for [th_]& tol dogz\ n : a coveted upper-management privilege. <Naming that program was one of the big hydrants for the tall dogs.>
cut the mustard \kut [th_]& 'm&s-t&rd\ v : have the capability to do the job.
ducks in a row \d&ks in & rO\ n : organized.
pucky \'p&k-E\ n : nonessential verbal or written malarkey or hokum. <Fred, you've got to rewrite section 1.0 to get rid of the pucky.>
put on a bigger hat \put on & 'big-&r hat\ v : assume more responsibility. <Simmons is going to put on a bigger hat to get this out in time.>