BUZZWORD COMPLIANT DICTIONARY
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ABM: Anything (or Anyone) But Microsoft. A popular philosophy that reflects the backlash against the software giant's market domination and regularly promoted by technology vendors and consultants who make their living selling alternative (open source, Linux, Unix, etc.) solutions.
Nominated by John Merritt

absolutely: Over-enthusiastic, over-affirming four-syllable response used in place of a simple "yes." In particular, a staple of on-air Q&As between TV anchors and field reporters. "Absolutely, Tom. That's how we read it here at the Capitol."
Nominated by Bob Cockrum

abandonware: Any software, generally still protected by copyright, that's no longer sold or supported by the maker, but popular enough to be illegally "shared" by software pirates.
Nominated by Mark Worden

academic junk food: College courses with absolutely no value other than being an easy way to get an A.

 across the aisle: Originally the "aisle" between Republicans and Democrats in Congress, it now applies to anyone with an opposing viewpoint. Example: "Management thinks we should focus on becoming profitable, but our investors across the aisle think we are due for an IPO."
Nominated by Mike Capsambelis

actionable: A legal term that's been co-opted by marketers, consultants and techies. In the legal world, it's "giving cause for legal action," such as a lawsuit. Now it's anything you can take action on. "After analyzing your production line, we recommend these four actionable steps."
Nominated by Max Matthews

action items: A term that sounds more macho and businesslike than "to do" list.
Nominated by Lance Smith

ADAM (andropause): Acronym for Androgen Deficiency in Aging Males, but better known as "male menopause." While not nearly as nasty as female version, it lasts a whole lot longer -- up to 40 years -- which probably explains why there are so many cranky old men. Also known as andropause.
Nominated by Mark Worden

adhocracy: An organization with little structure run by creating a series of temporary cross-functional teams to do specific tasks. Depending upon execution, the result is either efficient problem-solving or utter chaos.
Nominated by Joe Shields

adminispam: Useless e-mail sent from upper echelon bureaucrats that's not applicable to your area, about people you'll never work with or issues you'll never face.
Nominated by Frances Burke

adminisphere: The upper levels of management where big, impractical, and counterproductive decisions are made.
Nominated by Greg Horesovsky

administrative professional: Replaces the word "secretary." By either title, they're unappreciated and underpaid.
Nominated by Peter Cook

administrivia: On a Web site, it’s the odds and ends that don’t quite fit under a specific category or merit their own page. Frequently it’s the legal stuff about copyrights, liability, licensing, etc. You know, all that administrative stuff. Privacy issues used to be administrivia, but with concerns about security that topic now rates primetime display.
Nominated by David Atherton

advermation: Some see this as the more evil twin of infotainment. Advermation is advertising that presents itself as information and tends to downplay or even disguise the fact that it’s trying to deliver a marketing message. In most cases, its a simple Web page that is blurring the lines. Conspiracy theorists, however, offer up examples like this: An ABC television "film critic" delivers a glowing review on the evening news and shows the new release’s promotional trailer. The movie is from Disney, ABC’s parent company. Hmmmmmmmm.
Nominated by Nick Catania

affluenza: The affliction of being too focused on buying material things, working too much (and still not having enough money) and stressing out about all of it.

agenda: In workplace politics, it's best defined as "What I want -- and will attempt to get -- at the expense of pushing what you want out of the picture completely."
Nominated by Laura Wagner

agreeance: A bastardization of "agreement." Created by the BuzzMakers because it sounds more important and "official." It's now bandied about at business meetings and is often buried in the fine print of Web site privacy statements. "All parties are in agreeance . . ."
Nominated by Hal Jalikeakek

aggressive accounting: Euphemism for any of the sleight of hand accounting practices used by companies to hide their weaknesses and artificially inflate their value. Such corporate magicians included Enron, WorldCom, etc. -- and the list seems to be growing.
Nominated by David Walker

agritainment: Farm-based tourism. Includes family style activities, such as corn mazes, haunted hay rides, pick-your-own pumpkins, etc. This growing phenomenon gives city slickers a taste of rural life while helping farmers diversify their revenue stream.
Nominated by Lori Schug

airball: The corporate version of a cat hairball. Someone who makes lots of noise, disrupts everything, has the potential to make a big mess - but ultimately does nothing.
Nominated by Bud Pass

air cover: Borrowed from the military, it's when someone in upper management agrees to take the flak for an unpopular decision -- while you do the dirty work. "The CIO will provide air cover while you make the cuts to reduce costs."
Nominated by Jim Buck

all cotton: In basketball, it describes a shot that swishes through the net without hitting the rim. "And Allen Iverson shoots . . . it's all cotton." Also: Nothing but net.

All Flash, No Cash: The financial version of "All Talk, No Action" and "All Hat, No Cattle."
Nominated by John Hiatt

alpha geek: The most technically proficient person in a group or company.
Nominated by Dean Duncan

alpha pup: A term used by market researchers for the "coolest kid in the neighborhood." "If the alpha pups like it, we'll sell a million of 'em."

alt-tab: It's more than just a key on your PC, it's the latest way to save your job. Hitting "alt+tab" on your keyboard will hide the window that's on your screen and bring up one from behind. It's used frequently in the workplace to hide the fact that you've been surfing the Net, instead of doing that report the boss wanted. "I didn't finish reading that joke you e-mailed me; my boss walked by so I had to alt-tab."
Nominated by Cade Bryant

Amazon-ized: That sick feeling you get when you wake up one morning and find your industry being dominated by a Web-based retailer. It’s a little less frightening now that multi-channel business models are back in vogue.
Nominated by David Manthey

anecdotal evidence: Information gathered through conversations with a handful of customers, suppliers or salespeople and used by stubborn executives to counter quantitative analyses that discredit their beliefs about the market.
Nominated by Nominated by Charles Mitchell

anonymize: A member of the enormous "ize" family. Not terribly imaginative, it means "to make anonymous." It's an old trick of the BuzzMakers: Take a noun. Add "ize" and turn it into a verb.
Nominated by Mike Wheeler

anticipointment: The feeling you get when a product or event doesn't live up to its own hype. "Windows ME was a huge anticipointment."
Nominated by Paul Strandlund

AOS: All Options Stink. Term taken from the military, but is easily applied to politics, business, etc.

apple polishers: "Yes" people or brown-nosers, who spend their time superficially polishing their images without putting their noses to the grindstone.
Nominated by Lee Pennekamp

aquadextrous: The ability to turn the bath faucet on and off with your feet.
Nominated by Jamie Thompson

architect: Mutilation of a noun by the "computer architecture" world. "Tell us what you want your system to do and we'll architect it for you." What's wrong with the word "design"?
Nominated by Randy Sheehan

ASCII babe: A celebrity or well-personality, who has been sophisticatedly illustrated using nothing but ASCII characters. See examples at www.asciibabes.com
Nominated by Glen Freddo

ASP: Cleopatra's fatal attraction. Actually, ASPs are nothing more than software rental agencies -- aka application service providers. They host the applications on their computers and take care of all maintenance, refinements and such. Access is generally through the Internet. Great for today’s business culture whose mantra is "Own Nothing If Possible."

ASP (part two): Active Server Page. A Web technology for providing dynamic Web pages.

associates: Thanks to companies like Wal-Mart, companies no longer have "employees" – they have "associates." Of course, they're still paid like employees.
Nominated by Hal Jalikeakek

asteroid event: Any major news or event that pushes a company to the brink of extinction by wiping out the value of its stock almost overnight. The corporate version of what killed the dinosaurs.
Nominated by Serge Masse

A2O: Shorthand for comparing dissimilar things – apples to oranges. "I'd disregard that. It was an A2O analysis."
Nominated by Rob Lawless

ATNA: All talk, no action. Four-letter acronym describing a person who makes promises with great fanfare, but seldom follows through.
Nominated by David Taylor

audio caffeine: High energy, stimulating music that gets you moving in the morning.
Nominated by Janet LoFurno

auditability: Corporate-speak describing the likelihood of information to withstand an auditor’s scrutiny. “We have assessed its auditability and it should pass SEC muster.”
Nominated by Michael Troiano

automotive acne: The collection of broken headlights, crumpled panels and bent fenders that identifies a car as belonging to a teenage driver.
Nominated by Kevin Johnson