Business travelers in Britain go batty over buffling. What's buffling, you ask? Well, it's most certainly not what bison do during mating season. No, dear reader, the term refers to business phrases that sound good, but are actually meaningless or useless. According to a YouGov survey commissioned by business traveler-friendly Ramada Encore hotels, the most hated buffling phrase in the United Kingdom is thinking outside of the box. Touch base is number two and at the end of the day comes in third. Among the other dreaded phrases are many Britishisms unknown in the American vernacular. There's blue sky thinking and thought shower and flag it up. Jane can guess what the first two mean, but has no idea what flag it up conveys. The survey also revealed that nearly half of working Britons (49 per cent) think buffling is on the rise in the workplace primarily because employees want to impress their bosses.
"As the vibrant and contemporary hotel offering for business travellers, Ramada Encore hotels commissioned this survey to better understand the "buffling" phenomenon," says Zory Radnay-Florian, Wyndham Hotel Group's marketing director for Ramada Encore hotels in Europe, Middle East and Africa. Radnay-Florian blames increased buffling, in part, on business reality television programs such as The Apprentice (yes, it's on in the U.K., too, although Donald Trump is nowhere in sight). On said shows, buffling is commonplace and often encouraged among those fighting it out for fame and the best job.
Meanwhile, Oxford University is simply baffled by buffling and by catch phrases that have fast become part of the British media conversation. The Oxford University Corpus is a body of research that tracks, in part, word and phrase usage in the media. From that research comes a list of the most irritating and overused expressions of the year. In 2008, 24/7, with due respect and at the end of the day were among the winners. At the end of the day, number three on the Ramada survey, came in at number one on the Oxford list.
As for Jane, she reserves her outrage at linguistic mangling. Manglers simply make up words or use them incorrectly. Take irrespective, please. There is no such word. Blowhards trying to look educated use it, only to undercut their own pretension when the drivel pours out of their mouths. Using the word literally when an expression is figurative is another major faux pas. Does Jane's head literally spin around when she hears literally being used instead of figuratively? Of course, not, dear reader. Her head only spins around figuratively.
Then there are those expressions that sound good, but are quite insincere. "With due respect" is usually uttered by one who is quite contemptuous of the recipient of said phrase. "I hear what you are saying" is said by those who may hear, but do not listen. If a conversant starts a sentence with either phrase, beware.
What about you, dear reader? Are there words or phrases that raise your hackles? Does anyone know what "flag it up" means? Please weigh in, figuratively speaking that is.
