Things My Boss Says (2008-2009)

I thought I was pretty good at speaking foreign languages, but my boss has so much to teach me. I've been keeping a list of his favorite clichés. I've had it in my tickle file to post for a while now, but I wasn't sure how high to lift the kilt on this. I finally decided to put some lipstick on it and get it out there. Going forward, I'll continue to keep my ear to the ground and touch base with you later with updates. Click "Read more" for the list from 2008-2009.



December 2009
Slow and steady wins the race
I’m going to make like a reindeer and get the sled out of here.
We are on an extremely short fuse
Just between us girls… [to an outside potential partner]

November 2009
Sword of Damocles hanging over your head
Bug in your ear
When the house is on fire, it’s no time to discuss changing the curtains.
It’s a shot in the dark.
We sort of pulled the fat out of the fire.

October 2009
It was a six-team race. [=There were six bidders.]
If so…then we’re back in the hunt.
[After winning a Utah contract], [The project manager] has already begun speaking Ute.
A miss is as good as a mile
Why they punted this responsibility
Herd the cats
Ear-to-the-ground mentality
It’s an evolving process [meaning, we don’t have one at all]
It’s a revolving door.
Ducks in a row
So it doesn’t require heroics
Reduce the number of purple hearts

September 2009
[To the client] You have a huge footprint.
If there’s an 800 lb. gorilla in the room…
Dancing with elephants
Soup-to-nuts
[Those mutual clients] know who to kick first.
That’s a marriage that’s sort of soured.
[The meeting is just] to get to know one another and sing Kumbaya
How high you want to lift the hem
It’s like dancing with elephants
I just don’t want to lift the kilt that high.
I will try to take the brunt of the “wheel spinning” activity
Have a “tickle” to ping her next week for a status update.
[To a client] We’ll need a couple of days to digest your questions.
That was on my tickle.
Put that in your tickle file

August 2009
If you could resurrect that material

May 2009
Turn up the volume on it a little bit

April 2009
It just sorta came in over the transom
Standing on one leg
Loaded for bear
I’ll ping so-and-so
[We don’t turn down work] unless it’s not our sweet spot.

January 2009
Put lipstick on it

2008
Put it on the radar
Will you pull the switch on that?
Before you pour concrete on that
Tilting at windmills
Too many dogs chasing this truck
And thanks for bird-dogging this.
Put that [baby] to bed
Circle the wagons
Usual suspects
Touch base
Phone tag
30,000 mile view
Drop the ball
On the same page
Low hanging fruit
State of the art
Pro-active
Going forward
Dangle a carrot
Get someone's blessing
Tweak