The Rules of Work - avoid officespeak

There is a plague which has been stalking the offices of Britain for several years. Possibly this infection spreads back decades. I call it office-speak. It's also known as management-speak, or, more concisely, as 'bullshit'.

When I first started off in the world of work back in 1995 as a slightly bewildered 21 year-old I remember registering at a temping agency in the City of London. I met the recruitment consultants in there and they gave me a touch typing test and a spelling test. I did ok.

But at the end I remember the lady saying to me "we'll touch base later". I thought - what? What did you just say? You'll touch my what? Not in here you won't, love. It was my first exposure to the total and utter crap that office workers (and in particular managers) like to come out with. What she meant was "we'll talk later". That's it. That's all you needed to say.

Unfortunately office-speak has become so ingrained into British office life that phrases that at first made me recoil now seem boringly routine. Tragically I even find myself talking about 'workstreams', 'proactive leadership' and the like. So this is also a note to self: stop talking bullshit and speak plain English! People will respect you for it.

So here, for your help and amusement, is my bullshit translator. A few are so baffling I've assigned them only a question mark.

Office bullshit -- English

Work package = Work
Touch base = Talk
Raincheck = Meeting
Client-facing = Meet
Synergy = ?
The big picture = That work you have to do
Put on the back burner = Do it later
Ball Park = ?
Cascade = Tell
Scope = Work to do
Interface = Talk
Think outside the box = Think
Ticks in boxes = Do things
Gap analysis = Think
Out of the loop = Tell someone
Fast track = Do
Mindset = ?
Downsize = Sack
Best practice = Work
Go the extra mile = Work
Process improvement = Do some work
Win-win situation = You need to get on with the work
Results driven = ?
Benchmark = Compare
Workstream = Work
Put to bed = Do
Skill set = Skill
Core business = Work
The big picture = Work to do
Going forward = Do
Traction = Doing some work?
Quality-driven = You need to do some work
Ramp up = Do
Blue sky thinking = Think
Time-bound = Hurry up and to do some work

If you have any more, or can help me with the ones I'm struggling with, please write in!