an extra-cautious approach that involves redundant elements in case one of them fails to perform as expected, used due to extreme prudence, perceived risk, experience, etc.; comes from the image of the gentleman wearing both a belt and suspenders (or braces, for the Brits) for the purpose of holding up his trousers, despite the fact that only one is necessary absent a highly-unlikely failure; in addition to noun form this term can be used as an adjective, as in “Keep both projectors live for the keynote, we need to go belt-and-suspenders given how important the CEO’s presentation is”; as with the original sartorial example, such a strategy can be clumsy or ungainly due to the additional backups involved

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a term used to refer to the way something appears, in contrast to the original definition meaning the science of light and its effects; this usage likely arose due to superficial association of its technical origins with the act of viewing something in an attempt to appear proficient or masterful, as in “I don’t like the optics on this page, let’s change it before we share it publicly”; the word has been figuratively extended to indicate how an action could be perceived, especially in the context of public relations or politics, as in “Sure you could take a job with that donor, but the optics wouldn’t be great”

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(adjective) a less obvious way of suggesting that some idea, or more likely a particular statistic, was generated with no analytical support and thus was pulled out of the air, i.e., from nowhere; although derisory in implication, can be used to highlight the weakness of a particular figure in a self-deprecating way, as in “If you’re wondering how much faith to put in those market size estimates just remember the Japan figures were air-grabbed”

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to be in the middle of a generally complex set of activities, with the connotation that both the initial energy from starting out and the anticipation of an imminent conclusion are remote at the moment; may have neutral implications or can indicate that the subject is flustered or harried, as in “The engineering team won’t be making the meeting, with tomorrow’s deadline on the prototype they’re really in the soup”; evokes the image of a person swimming uncomfortably in a steaming pot of broth; cf. a lot of moving parts

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(noun) the solution, approach, or response needed to achieve progress against a particularly knotty problem, as in “We’ve identified three unlocks that will help the ministry make progress on the issue of primary education” ; similar to the solve or the ask, this jargon takes a verb and repurposes it as a noun; changing the usual part of speech is arresting, which is partly responsible for its popularity1

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and you are left on the pier, alone, to wave forlornly as it recedes into the horizon; indicates that an action or decision has been irrevocably taken and that there is no sense in further attempts to alter it, as in “Don’t bother trying to convince the CMO about the rebrand, that ship has sailed”; stems from the fact that when ships have left port, to return to dock would be laborious and expensive and so is rarely if ever done, much to the chagrin of modern cruise ship passengers who failed to return on time after shore excursions and must now be helicoptered to the vessel if they wish to resume their itinerary

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to generate some impact that is tangible or meaningful, as if the activity in question is being measured by an analog gauge with a needle sweeping across the gradations marked off on its face; used to refer to something that will have impact that is sufficient to justify the effort it requires, as in “I think that quality training program could really move the needle in terms of improving our defect rates”; in an increasingly digital world this expression has less purchase on the imagination

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to undertake an effort that may be draining or thankless but is sometimes necessary; this expression has its roots in generic ball sports, in which the rapid and partly unpredictable movement of the central object means effort and diligence are needed to track and control it; this is especially true when there are opposing factors at work, such as in soccer; can be used in a negative sense, referring to a line of inquiry that is not worth pursuing further, as in “Sure they expressed some interest in sharing data, but do we really want to chase that ball?”, or more positively as a gauge of energy or enthusiasm, as in “Now we have to make sure we get time on the VP’s calendar this week, who wants to chase the ball?”

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the process of managing diverging personalities or perspectives in order to achieve a broader objective, which is being hindered by the multiplicity of opinions or goals; as with cats, which stubbornly refuse to follow instructions even if they are perfectly understood, the term suggests independent orientations that may be unhelpful but are not actively malicious; the herder may experience frustration or weariness depending on how many metaphorical cats there are; surprisingly not the only feline corporate jargon, with hairball as another example

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to make a competitive move that encroaches on a position staked out by another party, an action likely to be perceived as provocative, devious, or disrespectful, as in “I don’t think starting our own kids’ streaming service is a good idea, Disney will think we’re planting in their fields”; the ownership of the metaphorical land in question could be based merely on tradition or some more formal arrangement between the entities involved; this action risks triggering a territorial reaction by the organization whose fields are thus sown, as it has the implicit right to cultivate and enjoy the harvest from them

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