the.com/jargon
the secret handshake of every profession, designed to keep outsiders politely confused.
means Specialized vocabulary used within a particular group, trade, or profession that often sounds like gibberish to everyone outside it.
from From Old French 'jargon,' meaning the twittering or warbling of birds — chatter so rapid and unintelligible it might as well be birdsong. The French word likely came from an imitative root mimicking that meaningless babble. So when your accountant talks 'amortized depreciation,' you're hearing, etymologically speaking, a flock of starlings.
- origin
- From Old French for the twittering of birds
- plain language laws
- US government mandates clear writing since 2010
- medieval roots
- Once meant meaningless chatter or gibberish
- corporate sport
- Buzzword bingo mocks meetings drowning in it
- trust killer
- Studies show jargon makes people feel excluded
wall street speak — financial traders use terms like 'long position' and 'short squeeze' that confuse outsiders
medical latin — doctors write 'q.i.d.' and 'stat' on prescriptions that patients don't understand
kubernetes yaml — software engineers deploy containers using nested configuration syntax most people can't parse
legal legalese — contracts contain 'heretofore' and 'notwithstanding' to make simple ideas incomprehensible