Posts Tagged ‘shoot the puppy’

In this charming book, Tony Thorne presents linguistic curiosities—buzzwords, jargon and slang—for their formal inventiveness and wit, and for the new attitudes and concepts they embody. Here are some of our favourite entries:

Adhocracy: improvised decision making

Al desko: eating at your workstation

Caving: leading a reclusive existence at home

Dashboard dining: eating while inside a car

Decruitment: laying off employees

Deskfast: breakfast eaten at your workstation

Jitterati: those rendered nervous or insecure by involvement with electronic communications

Open kimono philosophy: a policy of transparency

Puckered-ups: sycophants

Worklessness: unemployment, redundancy

Shoot the puppy: to do the unthinkable, take extreme action and/or terminate an unacceptable situation