Cut the waffle: How to simplify your life and your lingo

We’ve all been there, nodding along to "low-hanging fruit" while having absolutely no idea what’s actually being said. At SMARTY, we’re big believers in keeping things SIM-ple with flexible monthly plans at great value.

But we noticed a trend: while we’re busy simplifying your phone plan, corporate jargon is busy complicating your life. To get to the bottom of this "corporate-speak" overload, we conducted new research to find out why Britain is obsessed with jargon and how we can finally start speaking more plainly.

The state of the nation: Lost in translation

Be honest: when was the last time someone asked you to "circle back", "shift the needle", or "put a pin in that" and you just... went with it? Our research shows that the "waffle" has officially taken over:

• 90% of Brits feel confused on a daily basis by 'meeting speak'

• 31% of people said they’ve pretended to understand phrases in meetings to avoid embarrassment

• 89% of the nation wish people would use everyday language

Despite the confusion, we’re still using these phrases an average of nine times a week outside of work, whether that’s at the pub, family dinners, or even on dates.

Stop the waffle with our Jargon Buster

If you’re tired of being bombarded by corporate waffle, we’ve launched a free tool to help you fight back. Our AI Jargon Buster translates complicated "work-speak" into plain English in seconds. Just paste in any phrase that's left you scratching your head and we'll tell you what it actually means.

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Top 10 most confusing office phrases

We asked people which phrases leave them most baffled. Here are the biggest offenders and what they actually mean:

1. "I'll ping you" > I’ll message you
2. "Low-hanging fruit" > The easy stuff first
3. "Let’s deep dive" > Let’s look at this properly
4. "Move the needle" > Actually make a difference
5. "Circle back" > Come back to this later
6. "Let’s align offline" > Let’s chat separately
7. "What’s the ask?" > What do you want?
8. "Per my last email" > I already told you this
9. "We need to cascade this" > Pass this on to your team
10. "Let’s sense check that" > Does this actually make sense?

Why is it spreading outside of work?

A big part of it comes down to how we use our phones. We’re switching between work messages and personal ones, replying to emails and then messaging friends all day long. The corporate brain never fully switches off.

“I’ve started to believe as we transition from work to our personal life, often on the same devices, we’re only encouraging jargon, as people get locked into a workplace mindset and way of communicating. It’s hard to switch off the corporate brain." — Simon Hall, Lingo Expert at Cambridge University

The result? Nearly half of us (49%) admit to using jargon with friends, and 1 in 10 (10%) have even let a "circle back" slip out on a date. Which, let's be honest, is a bit of a mood killer.

Simple is actually the smart move

Many use jargon to sound more professional, but the research suggests the opposite. Clear, plain language builds trust and increases productivity. As Simon Hall puts it: "Simple isn’t stupid. Simple is smart."

Speaking of keeping things SIM-ple...

At SMARTY, we apply that logic to everything we do. No confusing contracts. No hidden fees. No pricing that requires a spreadsheet to understand. Just honest, flexible monthly SIM plans that do what they say on the tin.

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